F-16 crashes in Michigan's Grand Traverse County in fiery wreck

Max Reinhart and Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News on Sep 17, 2026

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DETROIT — An F-16 fighter jet crashed Sept. 17 in a field south of Traverse City as witnesses showed video of the crash site and the trail of black smoke.

Michael Kroll, a spokesman for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said the agency was aware of an incident in which an F-16 crashed in the Traverse City area. The aircraft was attached to the 149th Fighter Wing in Texas.

The 149th Fighter Wing, known as the Lone Star Gunfighters, is an F-16 training unit at Joint Base San Antonio in Lackland, Texas. The wing is a part of the Texas Air National Guard and Texas Military Department.

In a Sept. 16 Facebook post, the 149th Fighter Wing said its student and instructor pilots were leaving for Michigan to participate in Operation Northern Cactus. "These flights are pivotal in testing our members, from the ground to the air, through organized training and teamwork," according to the fighter wing post.

Dispatchers with Grand Traverse Central Dispatch confirmed the incident to The Detroit News but declined to specify the location. Witnesses shared video of the crash site near Blair Township.

Blair Township Supervisor Nicole Blonshine said the plane was believed to be an F-16, and the pilot evacuated the aircraft via parachute before the crash. The pilot was found "conscious and alert," she said.

The pilot was transported to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, state Rep. John Roth said.

There were no reported injuries to civilians or damage to nearby homes.

There was no immediate word on what caused the crash. Roth said the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office is working alongside military personnel to determine the cause.

Wendy Sobeck of Blair Township said she was working from home Thursday when a loud crash, followed by an explosion, startled her. She rushed outside, expecting a crash had happened in her front yard.

She saw massive plumes of billowing black smoke from down the road, she said. Her husband, Fred, jumped in his truck and drove to see what happened, prior to any emergency personnel arriving.

“ The neighbor told us that he actually saw it happen: He saw two pilots — he assumed — parachute out, and the plane crash into the field,” said Sobeck, traffic and billing manager for the Midwestern Broadcasting Co.

“Thankfully it landed to the side field of the home that’s there, so it didn’t hit any structures. We don’t know the status of the pilots, but we assume they are OK. It was a little scary and a little too close to home.”

Fred Sobeck at the scene shot video of the billowing smoke as a police officer shooed away onlookers, telling them the plane contained munitions that would explode, Wendy said. He could see debris in the field beyond the fire, she said. "Guys, I need you out of here. That's full of munitions. It's going to blow up in just a minute," the officer says in the video.

Around 3 p.m., the couple in Blair Township, southwest of Traverse City near Chum’s Corners, said they received an order to shelter in place and close all windows and doors to their dwelling, Wendy said.

“It was a little bit of an adrenaline rush,” she said. “I’m having not the best day as it was … but I’m so grateful. We had friends and family calling right away because they know where we live and were worried. It was far enough away from our house but still too close.”

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