Hazardous chemical spill in F-16 crash in Michigan prompts evacuation

Max Reinhart, The Detroit News on Sep 17, 2026

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DETROIT — A hazardous chemical spill resulting from a military jet crash in Grand Traverse County has prompted an evacuation order after the training mishap created a risk of highly toxic vapors or fluid seeping into the area.

A Texas Air National Guard F-16 crashed Thursday in Blair Township during a training exercise, military officials said. The pilot was hospitalized and listed in stable condition.

Following the crash, authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for an area along County Road 633. Residents were instructed to remain indoors and close windows and vents. The shelter-in-place order later was canceled.

About 30 minutes later, authorities ordered an evacuation within a 1-mile radius of the crash site because of a hazardous chemical spill.

Neither Michigan State Police or the Grand Traverse County Emergency Management responded to questions about what kind of chemicals were aboard the plane. The Texas military officials would not say what kind of chemicals the plane carried.

Residents and businesses in the affected area were told to leave and avoid the crash scene. A shelter was established at Kensington Church in Traverse City for those displaced by the evacuation.

The F-16, operated by the 149th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard, was in Michigan for a routine military training mission, according to Texas Military Department's Public Affairs Office.

Authorities have declined to specify what type of chemical prompted the evacuation.

An F-16 can carry several hazardous substances, including jet fuel, hydraulic fluid and ethylene glycol, according to the U.S. Air Force.

It also carries hydrazine, a highly volatile fuel, as an emergency power source. The Air Force describes hydrazine as highly toxic, flammable and corrosive.

Exposure can harm the nervous and respiratory systems and, in severe cases, cause kidney damage or coma, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are several incidents of hydrazine poisoning in years past.

In 2011, a military F-16's emergency power unit activated while the aircraft was inside an underground hangar in Israel, filling the area with hydrazine vapor. Four ground technicians were exposed for less than a minute.

One technician developed markedly abnormal blood tests, including reading that indicated possible muscle damage, along with elevated liver enzymes. He was hospitalized and treated with intravenous fluids. His tests eventually returned to normal and he returned to military service.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration documented a 2003 incident in which a roughly 5-gallon container of anhydrous hydrazine was released at a freight facility in Massachusetts.

Four employees were exposed to vapors and contaminated. They were taken to a hospital after decontamination. Two suffered respiratory inflammation from inhaling the vapors.

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