A U.S. military F-16 fighter jet crashed in northern Michigan during a training mission Thursday afternoon, sending flames and a large plume of black smoke into the air as the pilot ejected safely.
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, south of Traverse City.
“The pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft,” the Texas Military Department said.
Michigan State Police said the pilot was transported to a local hospital and was listed in stable condition. No other injuries were reported.
The crash occurred near homes and sparked a large fire in a field, with witnesses reporting flames, heavy smoke and repeated explosions coming from the wreckage.
Military officials have not determined what caused the aircraft to go down, though air traffic control communications recorded shortly before the crash raised the possibility of a bird strike or engine failure.
“We have a possible mayday by wingman. I believe [they] may have taken a bird,” a military pilot told air traffic controllers, according to audio captured by LiveATC.net.
Another transmission indicated the aircraft may have lost engine power 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 said.
Officials have not confirmed that a bird strike caused the crash, and an investigation is underway to determine what happened.
The incident also prompted a hazardous materials response from state and local authorities.
Michigan State Police evacuated homes and businesses within approximately a one-mile radius because of what authorities described as a “hazardous chemical spill related to the plane crash.”
Most residents were cleared to return to their homes by about 10 p.m. Thursday.
Witness Shellie Doornbos said she and her husband were driving home when they saw the fireball from the crash site and began hearing explosions.
“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,” Doornbos told CNN.
Authorities have not independently confirmed whether ammunition aboard the aircraft caused the reported explosions.
The 149th Fighter Wing had been conducting a routine training mission in Michigan when the F-16 crashed.
Bird strikes involving aircraft are reported thousands of times each year in the U.S., according to Federal Aviation Administration data, though investigators have not established whether one played a role in Thursday’s incident, per Trending Politics.
Military investigators will now examine the wreckage, flight information and communications leading up to the crash as they work to determine why the aircraft lost power and went down outside Traverse City.
The pilot’s successful ejection prevented any reported fatalities or serious injuries on the ground.
