F-16 Fighter Plane Crashes in Upper Peninsula

An F-16 Fighter plane, part of the Wisconsin Air National Guard, has crashed in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Authorities are currently searching for the plane's pilot who went missing after the plane crashed Tuesday (12/8) night along the Delta-Schoolcraft county line in the Hiawatha National Forest, near Escanaba. Delta County is about 140 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge.

The crash occurred last night around 8 pm. It was part of a routine training exercise, according to the Wisconsin National Guard.

The plane was assigned to the 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison, Wisconsin, according to Up North Live.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the pilot of the aircraft has not yet been located. No other passengers were on board the aircraft.

“We are a close knit family and when an incident like this occurs, every member in our organization feels it.”, said Col. Bart Van Roo, 115th Fighter Wing commander. “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”.

According to WLUC, the 115th Fighter Wing helped to coordinate a search effort that included local emergency responders, the US Coast Guard, and other government agencies. Search efforts from the air and on the ground are ongoing Wednesday afternoon.

This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.