US F-16 Fighting Falcon Crashes In Michigan: Texas Pilot Ejects Moments Before Jet Explodes

Michigan: A Texas Air National Guard (TANG) F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed in northern Michigan, US, during a routine training sortie, turning into a fireball at the site. The incident triggered chaos at the scene, with rescue teams rushing to the scene. 

According to reports, the jet, assigned to the 149th Fighter Wing based at Lackland in Texas, was taking part in exercises when it reportedly suffered a bird strike. Frantic radio transmissions captured the dramatic moments as the pilot's wingman reported his colleague going down.

Reports suggested that the pilot managed to eject moments before the crash and survived. The officials claimed that he was later transported to a local hospital after parachuting to the ground in Grand Traverse County.

Wingman Reported Mayday After Bird Hit Engine

The harrowing incident occurred in mid-air over Blair Township, with audio recordings revealing the distress call made by a pilot using the callsign ‘Buck 11’. In the transmission to air traffic control (ATC), he said, "We have a possible mayday by wingman, I believe may have taken a bird."

Buck 11 subsequently explained that the suspected bird strike had knocked out an engine on his wingman's aircraft. The controllers attempted to vector the stricken jet towards a nearby airfield, but the situation deteriorated rapidly.

As the emergency developed, Buck 11 warned ATC that ejection was imminent, with the pilot saying, "Alert emergency services!... He's gonna have to get out, and it's gonna be in the town that I'm overhead now."

The 149th Fighter Wing later confirmed in a statement that the F-16 had gone down following a mishap, saying, "We are currently investigating the mishap."

Huge Explosion Heard As Evacuation Ordered

On the ground, the crash caused a panic-like situation among the residents, with Blair Township Supervisor Nicole Blonshine saying that she heard the impact from her home and initially feared the worst. "It sounded like a huge explosion. I ran out and I saw a big smoke plume, and my first thought was somebody's house blew up," she stated to The Post.

Blonshine added that she did not believe anyone on the ground had been injured nor any houses damaged, confirming that the pilot was awake and alert after his parachute landing.

Following the incident, the concerned department and officials established a command post inside the Blair Township hall. Grand Traverse County Emergency Management issued an urgent order, posting on social media, saying, "Evacuate within 1 mile of the site. Evacuate away from the intersection of Co Rd 633 and Jefferson Pl. Follow instructions from emergency personnel."

The fighter wing had been deployed to Michigan for training at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center. The jets had been scheduled to conduct a flyover at a high school football game on Friday night, according to the Alpena News.

Further updates on the reported crash are awaited.