This happened about an hour ago, it appears the pilot is in stable condition.

https://www.woodtv.com/news/mi...n-northern-michigan/

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD/AP) — An F-16 fighter jet crashed Thursday afternoon in northern Michigan, forcing an evacuation of nearby homes.

The pilot is stable, a military official confirmed to News 8.

The crash happened around 2 p.m. along County Road 633 between Jeffrey Place and Blair Townhall Road in Green Lake Township — a few miles east of Interlochen State Park. Grand Traverse County Emergency Management has ordered everyone within one mile of the crash site to evacuate.

A spokesperson with the Michigan Department of Military and Veteran Affairs told News 8 that the F-16 is a part of the 149th Fighter Wing from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas.

A recent social media post from the 149th Fighter Wing says student and instructor pilots were heading to Michigan to take part in Operation Northern Cactus out of the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center.

Sgt. Derek Gutierrez, a public affairs specialist with the 149th Fighter Wing, told The Associated Press that the pilot had ejected safely and was receiving medical treatment at a local hospital. Gutierrez declined to release details about the pilot’s identity or any injuries, citing military policy.

Master Sgt. Agustin Salazar, also a spokesperson for the 149th, told News 8 that the pilot is in stable condition. He could not immediately comment on whether anyone else was injured. He said additional information would be forthcoming.

Witnesses reported hearing a loud crash, and images posted to social media showed a dark plume of smoke in the air.

An audio recording obtained by News 8 indicated that a pilot thought the jet may have hit a bird.

Wendy Sobeck said she and her husband heard a “very loud crash” down the road, minutes from

I got to respond to three of those during my 4 years in the Air Force. Two were in non populated areas, one was right in a neighborhood outside of base. One of them was in a remote area of Idaho and both pilots died. I still remember what those body parts look like everywhere around the crash site 34 years after it happened. Bodies do not hold up well in crashes.

One interesting thing about the crash outside base. They gave the pilot kudos for missing houses when the plane crashed. A pilot told us that in flight school they tell the pilot to worry about preserving their own lives more than worrying about where the plane hits. They spend a lot to train the pilots so they are more concerned about keeping them alive than civilians. He did say despite what they were told, that most pilots still focus on not crashing into civilians.

F-16 crash people need to keep far away from the crash site due to the hydrazine carried onboard. As far as I know, only two airplanes utilize hydrazine for their Emergency Power Unit, F-16 and U-2. Hydrazine is highly toxic, corrosive and volatile; burns, irritations and respiratory issues, can result in nervous system damage. Stay Away

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
F-16 crash people need to keep far away from the crash site due to the hydrazine carried onboard. As far as I know, only two airplanes utilize hydrazine for their Emergency Power Unit, F-16 and U-2. Hydrazine is highly toxic, corrosive and volatile; burns, irritations and respiratory issues, can result in nervous system damage. Stay Away

Yep, I forgot about that hazard. We were more concerne with ordnance and ejection seat components.

Oddly enough, Hydrazine is one of the first things I thought of when I heard of what had crashed. My last Captain on the FD was Airforce Reserve CFR and shared a lot with us.

I heard on the radio that there was supposed to be a flyover of a high school football game up there.
The flyover has been cancelled.

https://www.woodtv.com/news/mi...ed-after-f-16-crash/

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:
I still remember what those body parts look like everywhere around the crash site 34 years after it happened. Bodies do not hold up well in crashes.

That's very true. My best friend at the time was killed in a midair collision in flight training and never made it out of the jet. When they returned his personal effects his wife asked me to look at them first. His wedding ring was crushed completely flat. After that I started wearing one dog tag around my neck and the other laced into my boot figuring there was a better chance of identifying me should something terrible happen.

quote:

A pilot told us that in flight school they tell the pilot to worry about preserving their own lives more than worrying about where the plane...He did say despite what they were told, that most pilots still focus on not crashing into civilians.

I guess it depends on the emergency. For emergencies that call immediate or near immediate ejection (confirmed engine fire, out of control flight below 10k, etc) you really don't have time or forethought to worry about where the jet will land. For other emergencies where you have time to troubleshoot or at least get your act together (engine out glide, etc) I'd like to think I would have considered where the jet was likely to hit. Thankfully I was never presented with that type of in flight emergency.

quote:

Originally posted by mojojojo:

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:
I still remember what those body parts look like everywhere around the crash site 34 years after it happened. Bodies do not hold up well in crashes.

That's very true. My best friend at the time was killed in a midair collision in flight training and never made it out of the jet. When they returned his personal effects his wife asked me to look at them first. His wedding ring was crushed completely flat. After that I started wearing one dog tag around my neck and the other laced into my boot figuring there was a better chance of identifying me should something terrible happen.

quote:

A pilot told us that in flight school they tell the pilot to worry about preserving their own lives more than worrying about where the plane...He did say despite what they were told, that most pilots still focus on not crashing into civilians.

I guess it depends on the emergency. For emergencies that call immediate or near immediate ejection (confirmed engine fire, out of control flight below 10k, etc) you really don't have time or forethought to worry about where the jet will land. For other emergencies where you have time to troubleshoot or at least get your act together (engine out glide, etc) I'd like to think I would have considered where the jet was likely to hit. Thankfully I was never presented with that type of in flight emergency.

You reminded me of something else I witnessed when the 2 F16 pilots died in the crash I responded to. I escorted a flight surgeon to one of the bodies among the wreckage. This guy was using his hand to dig around in the reminder of the flight suit around a portion of the torso. I asked him what the heck he was doing. He said he was looking for the wedding ring, that pilots are supposed to take them off and put them into a pocket on the flight suit but most won’t do that.
This particular pilot’s wife did not believe he was deceased and wanted to see the body. There was no way he could be identified by what was left and so she told them she wanted the wedding ring. The Air Force paid civilians to use metal detectors over that entire crash site until they found the ring. They did find it, I was impressed since there was a lot of area to cover.