A U.S. F-16 fighter jet has crashed during a training drill in Michigan, after the Pentagon said it wanted to see more military flyovers.
The F-16 belonged to the Texas Military Department and was embarking on a routine training mission from a National Guard base in Alpena, Michigan, on Thursday when it crashed in Grand Traverse County, sending plumes of smoke into the sky.
The pilot ejected safely but was taken to the hospital for treatment. Nearby residents were evacuated after police said hazardous chemicals spilled from the wreckage.
The F-16 unit is in Michigan to take part in training at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, and was due to perform a flyover at a high-school football game on Friday night, the Alpena News reported.
The pilot was conscious and speaking to law enforcement at the hospital, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael D. Shea said, as reported by the Associated Press.
The military said it was still investigating the cause of the crash, but one pilot told air traffic controllers that he believes his wingman hit a bird before the crash. Audio captured by www.liveatc.net sees a pilot with the callsign Buck 11 say, “We have a possible mayday by wingman. I believe (they) may have taken a bird.”
“Alert emergency services!… He’s gonna have to get out, and it’s gonna be in the town that I’m overhead now,” Buck 11 says, as reported by the New York Post.
After the accident, homes and businesses within a one-mile radius were evacuated due to a “hazardous chemical spill related to the plane crash,” Michigan State Police said in a social media post. Most residents were allowed to return home by 10 p.m. Thursday.
Blair Township Supervisor Nicole Blonshine told the Post the crash sounded like a “huge explosion.” She said, “I ran out and I saw a big smoke plume, and my first thought was somebody’s house blew up.”
The accident followed a Pentagon X post on Thursday after widespread criticism of low-altitude flyovers and maneuvers. “The flyovers will continue until morale improves,” it said.
The Pentagon’s wording appeared to reference an old, and dark, military joke of uncertain origin: “The beatings will continue until morale improves.”
The post mirrors one beleaguered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made in July, also defending low-altitude military flyovers.
The Pentagon’s wording appeared to reference an old, and dark, military joke of uncertain origin: “The beatings will continue until morale improves.”
Hegseth’s post came a fighter jet from the Navy’s demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, buzzed a Florida beach in July, flying so low that chairs and tents went flying, sand was flying and children covered their ears to protect themselves from the noise. It raised questions over the safety reviews of such flights.
Such low-altitude flyovers have been responsible for previous crashes.
Hegseth has previously defended the military, clashing with his own top brass, after incidents including two Army helicopters hovering near the house of MAGA musician Kid Rock in March, and a low-flying sweep by Army Apache helicopters in July.
The Daily Beast has contacted the Pentagon and the Texas Military Department for comment.
