A plane erupted in flames after crash-landing in a Michigan field, injuring the pilot and prompting the evacuation of nearby residents.
The F-16 went down on Thursday during training exercises at a National Guard base in Alpena, about 190 miles from Detroit. The crash injured the pilot and sent thick plumes of smoke into the sky.
The pilot was conscious and speaking with law enforcement while being treated at a local hospital, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea and Sergeant Derek Gutierrez of the 149th Fighter Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas said.
Gutierrez did not disclose the pilot’s identity, citing military policy. He said the aircraft was one of several F-16s from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland participating in training exercises in Michigan.
Audio obtained by LiveATC indicated that another pilot told air traffic controllers he believed his wingman had struck a bird before crashing.
‘We have a possible Mayday. My wingman I believe may have taken a bird,’ the pilot said.
The controller offered to guide the pilot to an airport near Frankfort or Traverse City, but he replied that his wingman had already crashed.
The pilot ejected safely before the fighter jet struck the ground.
An F-16, shown in a stock image, crashed on Thursday during training exercises at a National Guard base in Alpena, injuring the pilot and sending smoke into the air.
The pilot ejected and remained conscious while speaking with law enforcement during treatment at a local hospital. Another pilot told air traffic controllers he believed the aircraft had struck a bird before crashing.
Gutierrez said he had not been informed of a possible bird strike and emphasized that the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
‘Once we get some more information and it’s approved, we can release it to you,’ he said.
Nathan Smith, a construction worker in the area, said he started recording the jet as it flew past him.
‘It was strange to see a jet flying that low and slow,’ Smith said. ‘A few seconds after the video cuts, I heard a loud bang, which I believe now to be the pilot ejecting, but I didn’t think of that at the time.’
The crash led to an evacuation of nearby properties. Michigan State Police said on X that, because of a ‘hazardous chemical spill’ connected to the crash, ‘all business and residential properties within a one-mile radius of County Road 633 and Blair Townhall Road are being evacuated.’
Residents were initially told to shelter in place before state police began evacuating the area. The type of spill has not been confirmed, although F-16s use hydrazine, a toxic chemical, in the fuel for their emergency power units.
Wendy Sobeck said she and her husband heard a ‘very loud crash’ only minutes from their home.
‘We thought there was a car accident outside our house. We saw big billowing black smoke. We couldn’t tell what it was, so my husband got into his pickup truck and saw what happened,’ Sobeck said.
Michigan State Police said that, because of a ‘hazardous chemical spill’ linked to the crash, all business and residential properties within a one-mile radius were being evacuated.
‘You could see the plane debris in the field. Explosions kept happening.’
Fred Sobeck, 65, said he drove down the road and saw a ‘big fireball in the field’ near a house and a camper, which were not hit.
‘Police told me to get out of there because of explosions,’ he said.
Shellie Doornbos and her husband told CNN that she and her husband were driving home when they saw the plane on fire.
‘We could hear explosions coming from the fire and asked a police officer what it was we were hearing as we were driving away, and he told us it was a fighter jet crash and the explosions were ammunition,’ she said.
Police lifted the evacuation order just before 10pm.
Our News Outlet reached out to the Alpena National Guard base and Michigan State Police for comment.
