Investigators are on the scene and some roads are closed in Clinton, Maryland after a pilot parachuted out of a plane before it crashed in a wooded area this morning.
The F-16 fighter jet, which was flying in a routine training mission, plummeted around 9:15 a.m. about six miles from Joint Base Andrews.
The pilot ejected and sustained non-life threatening injuries, and no other injuries were reported. The plane was from the Air National Guard’s 113th Fighter Wing.
The jet crashed in a wooded area between two neighborhoods, Prince George’s County Fire and EMS spokesperson Mark Brady said at a press conference. The closest structures were about 200 yards away.
A nearby resident described hearing “a really loud boom” to NBC Washington. “It sounded like maybe construction work. And then I heard a second boom, but it was so loud,” the person said. “My house shook, like an earthquake. But it almost sounded like a bomb.” Others who were in the area at the time also told the news outlet that they heard loud booms, smelled smoke, and saw flames rising.
Fire officials evacuated people from nearby residences, Brady said, but they’ve since been allowed to return to their homes.
Fire chief Benjamin Brady told reporters that he’s unsure what type of communication the pilot had with base officials before the plane went down, but “we are very fortunate that we didn’t have any lives lost today.”
While most of the structure was found at the crash site, some debris was found miles away in National Harbor, officials said. If anyone finds what’s believed to be part of the aircraft, they shouldn’t touch it, but instead call 240-612-4428 (or 4430).
Brady said he deleted photos and videos posted to the fire department’s social media sites per the request of military officials. Fox 5 DC’s Facebook page, however, does show footage of the pilot descending to the ground in a background of smoke.