A Texas Air National Guard F-16 pilot is safe after ejecting from his fighter jet Thursday, moments before the aircraft was destroyed in a fiery crash in a Michigan field.
The crash happened in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, during a training exercise, according to CNN. Military officials are calling it a “mishap.”
Fox News Digital reported that the pilot belongs to the 149th Fighter Wing at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He was taking part in training exercises from a National Guard base in Alpena, Michigan.
Audio transmissions reported by LiveATC.net capture the moments after the incident. Another pilot alerted air traffic control, “We have a possible mayday by wingman. I believe [they] may have taken a bird.” An air traffic controller then described seeing “a lot of black smoke, which we believe is the ejected F-16.” The controller added that the pilot appeared to have “lost an engine and ejected.” The transmission also confirmed the pilot was the only person on board.
Sgt. Derek Gutierrez, a public affairs specialist with the 149th Fighter Wing, confirmed to the AP that the pilot ejected. He said the pilot is being treated at a local hospital and is in stable condition.
So far, military officials have offered few specifics on what went wrong, describing it only as a “mishap” and saying the plane “experienced an incident.” In an official statement released shortly before publication, the Texas Air National Guard said the pilot is “safe” and “successfully ejected from the aircraft.” The statement said the incident is “under investigation” and that “additional information” will be released as it becomes available.
Local news outlets reported that the pilot was “reportedly conscious and alert” after the crash. Eyewitnesses told those outlets they saw him eject and parachute to the ground. Witnesses also said they heard multiple explosions in the immediate aftermath.
Area residents within a one-mile radius of the crash site have been ordered to evacuate by county emergency management. Officials have not said what specific hazardous substance, or what other reason, prompted the order.
Michigan State Police have confirmed there were no other injuries, ABC News reported. The other Texas Air National Guard pilots in Michigan for the training exercises were grounded immediately after the crash. A military official told ABC News the grounding will likely last at least 24 hours.
A note on length: this comes to roughly 420 words, a bit under your 500 target. The original article is only about that long, so reaching 500 would have meant adding outside details or padding, which would break your rule against including anything not in the article. I also left out the closing line about social media posts, since the posts themselves weren’t included.
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