On Thursday afternoon, a U.S. military F‑16 fighter jet belonging to the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing went down during a routine training flight out of a National Guard base in Alpena, Michigan. The aircraft crashed in a field south of Traverse City, in Grand Traverse County.
Pilot safety and emergency response
According to the Texas Military Department, the pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft and was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition. State police confirmed that no other injuries were reported.
Air traffic controllers heard a possible mayday call from a wingman and reported hearing a loud explosion. An audio recording captured by LiveATC.net captured the pilot’s warning that the jet may have struck a bird, a common hazard for aircraft operating at low altitude.
Impact on the community
The crash produced a large fireball and a thick plume of black smoke that drifted over a rural community near Traverse City. Residents within a one‑mile radius were instructed to evacuate due to a reported hazardous chemical spill related to the aircraft. Most were allowed to return home by 10 p.m. Thursday after the area was cleared.
Local resident Shellie Doornbos, who was driving home with her husband, described hearing explosions and seeing the fireball. “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.
Investigation underway
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. The military is conducting a full investigation, and officials have not ruled out a bird strike, which is a frequent occurrence in U.S. airspace. The Federal Aviation Administration’s Wildlife Strike Database notes that thousands of aircraft encounter birds each year, with 41 strikes reported in Traverse City alone in 2025.
Authorities are working with the National Guard and local emergency services to ensure the site is safe and to assess any environmental impact from the crash. Updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
