On Wednesday, an F-16 fighter jet crashed at 11:15 a.m. local time in a rural region south of Beauregard Parish, Louisiana. The area is approximately 50 miles south of the United States Army’s Fort Polk.
The Oklahoma Air National Guard announced in a statement that the pilot successfully ejected from an F-16 fighter jet before it crashed in southwest Louisiana. The F-16 was a Block 42 type operated by the 125th Fighter Squadron “Tulsa Vipers” of the Oklahoma Air National Guard.
According to the statement, there were no reports of casualties on the ground following the incident, and the pilot sustained no serious injuries.
The pilot’s family recognised him as Maj. Alexander Drummond, mission commander of the Oklahoma Air National Guard’s 138th Fighter Wing, stationed in Tulsa. Gentner Drummond, a Tulsa attorney and Republican candidate for Oklahoma Attorney General, is Drummond’s father.
“As a parent, the first thing I wanted to know when I received the news of the crash was, of course – is he OK?” Gentner Drummond said in a statement. “I’m relieved to know that Alexander is alive, receiving outstanding medical care and is expected to make a full recovery.”
According to the Guard, the pilot and aircraft were on a regular training operation out of Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston. However, the reason for the crash is still being investigated.
