Texas Air National Guard F-16 crashes in northern Michigan; pilot ejects safely

An F-16 from the Texas Air National Guard crashed in northern Michigan on September 17, 2026, during a training sortie. The pilot ejected and survived.

The jet belonged to the 149th Fighter Wing, based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. The wing said the pilot was recovered after the crash near Blair Township in Grand Traverse County.

Sgt. Derek Gutierrez, a public affairs specialist with the wing, told the Associated Press the pilot was being treated at a local hospital.

Video on social media showed dark smoke pouring from burning wreckage in what appeared to be a residential area. No injuries on the ground were reported.

The unit had traveled to Michigan to train at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center.

Grand Traverse County emergency officials told residents within one mile of the site to leave, directing them away from the junction of County Road 633 and Jefferson Place. A command post was set up at a municipal building in a nearby town.

The wing said it is investigating. No cause has been identified.