Pilot ejects before F-16 crashes near DC
A fighter jet crashed Wednesday morning in a wooded area near Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, after he had mechanical trouble and steered the aircraft away from a neighborhood, officials say.
A witness said the pilot’s first concern was residents’ safety.
“I asked him if he was OK and he didn’t even respond to that. He asked if everyone in the neighborhood was OK,” Patrick Dodson said.
The D.C. Air National Guard F-16C fighter jet crashed about 9:15 a.m. in Clinton, Maryland, about 6 miles southwest of the base that is home to Air Force One, base officials said. Homes are about 200 yards from the crash site.
The pilot, who was on a routine training mission, was able to eject from the jet assigned to the 113th Wing. He parachuted to the ground and was picked up by a military helicopter. Video captured by a witness shows the pilot drift toward the ground.
