Politics
F-16 Crashes Near Beloved US City
A U.S. military F-16 fighter jet crashed in northern Michigan during a training mission Thursday afternoon, erupting into flames as the pilot ejected to safety.
The aircraft belonged to the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing and was operating out of the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center when it went down in Grand Traverse County.
“The pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft,” the Texas Military Department said.
The pilot was taken to a local hospital and was listed in stable condition, according to Michigan State Police.
No one else was injured.
The crash happened south of Traverse City and sent a massive plume of black smoke into the sky as flames tore through a field near homes.
Air traffic control audio captured before the crash raised the possibility that the aircraft may have struck a bird.
“We have a possible mayday by wingman. I believe (they) may have taken a bird,” a military pilot alerted air traffic controllers, according to audio captured by LiveATC.net.
An F-16 fighter jet crashed in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, on Thursday, and an evacuation order is in effect along part of County Road 633, the county’s emergency management said.
A spokesperson with the 149th Fighter Wing of the Texas National Guard confirmed that the… pic.twitter.com/ryAwGPb5DA
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 17, 2026
Another transmission suggested the F-16 may have lost an engine before the pilot ejected.
“It appears that they may have lost an engine and ejected… but we do see a lot of black smoke, which we believe is the ejected F-16,” an air traffic controller relayed to other pilots.
The cause of the crash has not been determined, and military officials said an investigation is underway.
The impact also triggered a hazardous materials response.
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Michigan State Police evacuated homes and businesses within a one-mile radius due to a “hazardous chemical spill related to the plane crash.”
Most residents were allowed to return home by 10 p.m. Thursday.
Witness Shellie Doornbos said she and her husband were driving home when they spotted the fireball and heard repeated explosions coming from the wreckage.
“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 told CNN.
Officials have not confirmed whether a bird strike caused the crash.
Bird strikes are relatively common in U.S. aviation, with thousands reported nationwide each year, according to Federal Aviation Administration data.
The 149th Fighter Wing had been carrying out a routine training mission in Michigan when the aircraft went down.
Investigators will now work to determine exactly what caused the jet to lose power and crash just outside Traverse City.
