F-16 fighter jet crashes in residential area in northern Michigan - NBC News

The jet went down during what officials called a routine training mission, according to a spokesperson for the Texas Military Department. Michael Kroll, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, confirmed the aircraft belonged to the Texas Air National Guard. The mission had launched out of the Air National Guard's Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Michigan, putting a Texas-based unit and its pilot more than a thousand miles from home when the jet "experienced an incident," in the spokesperson's words.

Michigan State Police said the pilot is stable and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Investigators haven't said what caused the malfunction, and it's unclear how close the wreckage came to homes in the area.

For anyone in Lubbock with ties to the Texas Air National Guard, the crash is a jolt. Training missions like this one happen far from home turf, a reminder that routine flights carry real risk even when they end without loss of life. Families connected to Texas military units will be watching for more details on the pilot's condition and what investigators find.

A fighter jet built for combat went down over a neighborhood, and the only person aboard walked away to tell investigators what happened.