A Texas Air National Guard pilot ejected from an F-16 fighter jet moments before it slammed into rural northern Michigan and burst into flames during a training exercise, surviving what his wingman's urgent radio call suggests was a bird strike.
The wingman, using the callsign "Buck 11," radioed air traffic control with an unmistakable edge of urgency as the situation unfolded over Grand Traverse County. He reported a "possible mayday" and told controllers his fellow pilot had likely hit a bird, and that the damaged jet was not going to make it to an airport.
The pilot, whose name has not been released, punched out of the crippled aircraft and parachuted to the ground near Blair Township, a small community roughly seven miles south of Traverse City. He was conscious, alert, and talking to law enforcement when he arrived at a local hospital in stable condition. No one on the ground was hurt, and local officials said they did not believe any homes were damaged. The 149th Fighter Wing, based at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, confirmed the crash and told the New York Post it is investigating the incident.
Air traffic control audio captured the wingman's real-time account of what went wrong. Buck 11 reported to controllers:
"We have a possible mayday by wingman, I believe may have taken a bird."
Controllers tried to steer the stricken jet toward a nearby airport, but the damage was already too severe. Seconds later, Buck 11 came back on the radio with a blunt warning:
"Alert emergency services!... He's gonna have to get out, and it's gonna be in the town that I'm overhead now."
A bird strike, a collision between a bird and an aircraft engine, can disable a jet engine almost instantly. Whether a bird caused this crash has not been officially confirmed. The 149th Fighter Wing spokesperson called it only a "mishap" and said the investigation is ongoing. A Fox News report described the mission as routine training, and the wing confirmed the jet had launched from the Air National Guard's Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, about 190 miles north of Detroit.
Blair Township Supervisor Nicole Blonshine told the Post she heard the crash from her own house. Her description was vivid:
"It sounded like a huge explosion. I ran out and I saw a big smoke plume, and my first thought was somebody's house blew up."
Blonshine said she did not believe anyone on the ground was injured or that any homes sustained damage. A command post was established at Blair Township hall as emergency crews responded. Nathan Smith, a construction worker near the crash site, told the Associated Press something had looked wrong before impact: "It was strange to see a jet flying that low and slow."
Grand Traverse County Emergency Management moved fast, posting an evacuation order on Facebook directing all residents within one mile of the crash site to leave the area immediately. The order named the intersection of County Road 633 and Jefferson Place as the reference point and told residents to follow instructions from emergency personnel. The AP reported that hazardous chemical spills from the wreckage prompted the temporary evacuations.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon belongs to the 149th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard, headquartered at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The unit was in Michigan for training exercises at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center. A wing spokesperson confirmed the incident in a statement: "We are currently investigating the mishap." Breitbart reported the spokesperson's fuller statement described the jet as being "on a routine training mission from the Air National Guard's Combat Readiness Training Center, in Alpena, when it experienced an incident earlier this afternoon."
The jets had reportedly been scheduled for a flyover of a high school football game on Friday night, though the crash itself occurred separately during the training exercise. The 149th Fighter Wing has not released the pilot's name or detailed the extent of any injuries beyond confirming he was in stable condition.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat, issued a statement acknowledging the crash. Peters said, "I'm aware of the plane crash near Traverse City. 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."
Several critical details remain unknown. Investigators have not confirmed whether a bird strike caused the engine failure or whether some other mechanical issue brought the jet down. The pilot's name, the specific nature of his injuries, and the hospital treating him have not been disclosed. It is also unclear when, or whether, the one-mile evacuation order was lifted, or what hazardous materials may have spilled from the wreckage.
Just The News confirmed that no ground casualties or property damage were reported, consistent with Blonshine's account. But the crash site, a rural area near a small township, could have produced a far different outcome had the jet come down a few hundred yards closer to homes or roads.
The pilot's training and instincts kept him alive. His wingman's fast, clear radio work got emergency crews moving before the jet even hit the ground. That is how the system is supposed to function, and in this case, it did.
