F-16 crashes on training run in Michigan; pilot safely ejects

An F-16 fighter jet crashed and the pilot ejected to safety in northern Michigan on Thursday afternoon, military officials confirmed.

The crash, which occurred in Grand Traverse County, was captured in a video circulated by local news outlets showing a large plume of black smoke in the air near residential homes.

The Texas Military Department said the F-16 belonged to the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing and was on a routine training mission from the Air National Guard’s Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena when it crashed.

“The pilot successfully ejected the aircraft and is receiving care at a nearby hospital,” the department said in a statement. “Emergency responders are on-site. The incident is under investigation.”

Michigan State Police ordered people within a mile of the crash site to evacuate due to a hazardous chemical spill linked to the aircraft. Residents had earlier been told to shelter in place and close their windows and doors.

The cause of the crash has not been determined. Air traffic control audio , however, suggests a possible bird strike occurred shortly before the F-16 went down.

Military officials have not confirmed that the aircraft struck a bird.

The 149th Fighter Wing, known as the Lone Star Gunfighters, is an F-16 unit based at Joint Base San-Antonio Lackland in Texas. The unit had sent student and instructor pilots to Michigan for Operation Northern Cactus, a training exercise at the Alpena center.