Texas Air National Guard pilot ejects safely before F-16 crash in Michigan
A Texas Air National Guard pilot was forced to eject from a fighter jet during a "mishap" Thursday in Michigan, officials said.
The pilot, who is with the 149th Fighter Wing based at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, was flying a routine training mission in an F-16, when the unspecified mishap occurred seven miles south of Grand Traverse, Michigan, a unit spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The pilot ejected before the crash and is in stable condition, officials said.
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No further information about the crash or the pilot was disclosed.
"I’m aware of the plane crash near Traverse City," U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., wrote on social media. "I am closely monitoring the situation as we work to get more information on the incident. I am praying that the pilot and folks on the ground are safe."
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Video footage posted to X shows black smoke rising into the sky from what is presumably the crash site.
The Grand Traverse Emergency Management Agency ordered everyone within a mile of the site to evacuate the area.
"Evacuate away from the intersection of Co Rd 633 and Jefferson Pl. Follow instructions from emergency personnel," the agency said.