Fighter jet may have hit bird before crash near Traverse City, reports say

Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News on Sep 18, 2026

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DETROIT — A military jet may have hit a bird before a fiery crash on Thursday near Traverse City that forced evacuations, according to media reports.

Another pilot who was flying along with the F-16 that crashed told air traffic controllers the aircraft may have hit a bird, according to a radio transmission to the airport's tower obtained by CBS Detroit. The TV station posted the audio on its Facebook page Thursday.

"We may have a possible Mayday," the pilot said. "My wingman, I believe, may have taken a bird. We are 634."

Air traffic controllers then told the pilot they could land at an airport in either Frankfort or Traverse City. At the time, the jets were about 10 miles from Frankfort and about 25 miles from Traverse City, an official told him.

However, the pilot reported the other jet was already on the ground and emergency services were needed.

A person on the audio is later heard saying he was confident that the pilot in the downed craft had ejected but didn't see a parachute.

Authorities said Thursday that the jet was an F-16 Fighting Falcon from 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.

The jet was "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 Texas Military Department's Public Affairs Office said in a statement.

The impact

Officials said there were no reported injuries to civilians or damage to nearby homes.

State Rep. John Roth, R-Interlochen, said the pilot was taken to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City. Michigan State Police said the pilot was in stable condition.

"The pilot successfully ejected the aircraft and is receiving care at a nearby hospital. Emergency responders are on-site," Texas Military Department officials said Thursday. "The incident is under investigation."

On Friday, the department referred questions about the incident to the news release it issued the day before.

Officials with the Munson Medical Center, which treated the pilot in the crash, said Thursday his jet was carrying hydrazine, a highly volatile and dangerous chemical. The chemical is a fuel used as an emergency power source in jets.

Michigan State Police ordered residents near the crash site to evacuate as a precaution.

Authorities also issued a shelter-in-place order for an area along County Road 633 after the crash. Residents were instructed to remain indoors and close windows and vents. The shelter-in-place order was lifted earlier Thursday, and the evacuation order was lifted at night.

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