F-16 crashes near Washington during training mission
WASHINGTON — A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter plane crashed near Washington on Wednesday during a training mission, and the pilot ejected safely while suffering non-life-threatening injuries, the military said.
The District of Columbia Air National Guard plane went down about 9:15 a.m. (1315 GMT) some six miles (10 km) southwest of the capital’s Joint Base Andrews while on a training flight with other National Guard aircraft, the base said in a statement on Twitter.
“The pilot ejected and sustained non-life-threatening injuries,” it said. The statement gave no details on the possible cause of the crash.
Prince George’s County Fire spokesman Mark Brady said on Twitter that the pilot was being evaluated at the hospital and was in good condition.
Video on the Prince George’s County Fire Department Twitter feed showed that the plane had gone down in a wooded area. Brady said that nearby homes were being evacuated.
A witness, Kent Roberson, told Washington’s NBC television affiliate that he heard a loud boom when the plane went down. “Like how a large tree falls and shakes the ground,” he said.
