By Admire Manzamwa
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A Texas Air National Guard F-16 fighter jet crashed Thursday afternoon, Sept. 17, 2026, in Grand Traverse County in northern Michigan, prompting a one-mile evacuation and the hospitalization of six people exposed to a hazardous chemical from the wreckage.
The jet went down around 1:52 p.m. near the intersection of County Road 633 and Jeffrey Road in Green Lake Township, outside Traverse City, according to Grand Traverse County Sheriff Mike Shea, NBC affiliate WPBN reported.
The pilot, the jet’s only occupant, ejected safely and was taken to Munson Medical Center in stable condition, Shea said. He was conscious and speaking with law enforcement.
The F-16 belonged to the 149th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard, based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas, which was training in Michigan out of the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Master Sgt. Agustin Salazar told WOOD-TV. Sgt. Derek Gutierrez, a public affairs specialist with the wing, confirmed to the Associated Press that the pilot ejected safely and was receiving medical treatment.
An audio recording obtained by WOOD indicated the pilot believed the jet may have hit a bird, the station reported.
Witnesses described a fireball and a dark plume of smoke. Edward Wilson, who lives nearby, said he watched the aircraft flying unusually low before it went down. “I immediately ran out the front door of my house,” Wilson told UpNorthLive, “and I seen the fighter was like this, with his nose up, and it was extremely low, and I knew that it was going down.”
Benjamin Vyverberg said he saw the pilot parachuting into a nearby field, called 911 and ran to find him. He praised the pilot for appearing to steer away from populated areas before ejecting. “He could have crashed into Traverse City,” Vyverberg said. “He waited as long as he could, putting his own life at risk.”
Hours after the crash, emergency officials escalated a shelter-in-place order to a full evacuation within a one-mile radius of the crash site due to a hazardous chemical spill, Michigan State Police said in a social media post. The chemical was hydrazine, a highly toxic fuel used in the F-16’s emergency power system, according to hospital officials.
Munson Medical Center said 34 people who were within 150 feet of the crash came in for evaluation and decontamination at an outdoor treatment area. Six were admitted and remained hospitalized in stable condition overnight, Megan Brown, chief communications officer for Munson Healthcare, said Friday. Those who were first responders were expected to be released Friday after being kept overnight for monitoring, the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office said.
Most residents were allowed to return home by 10 p.m. Thursday, CNN reported. The evacuation order was lifted Thursday evening, though some specific residents were not yet allowed back, according to county officials.
The crash is under investigation, and the military has not released the pilot’s identity, citing military policy.
This story is based on reporting by the Associated Press, CNN, the Detroit Free Press and WPBN/WOOD.