Pilot missing after Wisconsin Air National Guard F-16 crashes in Michigan

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Search and rescue efforts are underway to find a pilot after an F-16 with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing crashed on Tuesday, according to a message on the wing’s Facebook page.

The F-16 went down around 8 p.m. on Tuesday in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the pilot’s status remains unknown, the message says.

“The 115th Fighter Wing participated in a coordinated search effort with local emergency responders, the U.S. Coast Guard and other government agencies overnight,” the message says. “Search and rescue efforts on the ground, in the air, and in the water continue.”

Military personnel from the wing have taken over the responsibilities of securing the crash site from local first responders, the message says.

“We are a close knit family and when an incident like this occurs, every member in our organization feels it.” Col. Bart Van Roo, 115th Fighter Wing commander, said in a statement. “The safety of our pilot along with search and rescue efforts are our top priority, and we will continue to pray for the pilot’s safe return.”

Jeff Schogol Avatar

Jeff Schogol

Senior Pentagon Reporter

Jeff Schogol is a senior staff writer for Task & Purpose. He reports on both the Defense Department as a whole as well as individual services, covering a variety of topics that include personnel, policy, military justice, deployments, and technology. His apartment in Alexandria, Va., has served as the Task & Purpose Pentagon bureau since the pandemic first struck in March 2020. The dwelling is now known as Forward Operating Base Schogol.