An F-16 assigned to the 149th Fighter Wing crashed Thursday in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, after the pilot ejected and parachuted to safety before being taken to a hospital in stable condition.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, Mich. — An F-16 fighter jet crashed and caught fire Thursday in a rural area of northern Michigan after its pilot ejected from the aircraft and parachuted to the ground.
The aircraft was operating with the 149th Fighter Wing from Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, which confirmed that the pilot successfully ejected before the crash, according to CBS News Detroit.
Emergency crews transported the pilot to a hospital, where the individual was reported to be in stable condition.
The crash occurred in Grand Traverse County and prompted local authorities to issue a shelter-in-place order as emergency personnel responded to the scene and dealt with the burning wreckage.
Blair Township Supervisor Nicole Blonshine said there were no immediate indications that anyone on the ground had been injured.
She also said she was not aware of any homes being damaged in the crash.
The cause of the incident was not immediately known Thursday.
Authorities were continuing to secure the area and assess the crash site while the shelter-in-place order remained in effect.
The 149th Fighter Wing confirmed the aircraft and pilot were associated with the Texas-based unit but had not announced a cause for the crash.
The investigation is expected to focus on what caused the F-16 to go down and the sequence of events that led the pilot to eject.
Original article
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