F-16 military jet crashes near Joint Base Andrews in Maryland; pilot parachutes out

An F-16 fighter jet that was on a training mission crashed Wednesday morning in Maryland just south of Joint Base Andrews after experiencing mechanical problems minutes after takeoff, a military spokesman said. The pilot dumped tanks loaded with 2,200 pounds of jet fuel in an unoccupied area and steered the plunging plane to a crash site with no injuries reported.

Base officials said in a statement that the plane was an F-16C fighter jet from the Air National Guard’s 113th Wing. The crash happened around 9:15 a.m., about six miles southwest of the base. The 113th Wing has its headquarters at the base.

“The aircraft was flying along with other DCANG [D.C. Air National Guard] aircraft in a routine training mission in the greater Washington area. The aircraft carried only the pilot,” Andrews base said in a statement. They also said “the pilot ejected and sustained non-life threatening injuries.”

Many area residents said they heard the sound of fighter jets as early as 7 a.m. Wednesday, but since they are so close to the military base, they said they are used to hearing such sounds.

But a couple of hours later, some reported hearing a loud bang. Some worried it was a bomb. Many saw smoke and flames, but couldn’t see exactly where the plane had crashed. Officials later said the plane crashed about 200 yards from any homes in the area.

Patrick Dodson, 38, saw the plane hit near his house and in the course of running to aid the pilot was struck by what he believes was shrapnel from the explosion.

Dodson happened to be on his porch in Clinton when he looked up to see a jet flying low and billowing smoke. A figure suddenly shot up and away from the plane and a parachute popped open almost instantly. Dodson watched the pilot drifting as the plane pitched sharply in a nose dive, heading his way.

He screamed to his mother, sister and 4-year-old nephew to get out of the house as he dashed off the porch and ran toward the drifting pilot. The plane was still coming, making a deep whoop-whoop-whoop until it went down on the far side of the houses across the street and erupted in a fireball that knocked Dodson off his feet.

He jumped up and kept running, only to feel sharp stings in his arm and hand. He pulled a small piece of metal from his thumb, so hot he dropped it immediately. He could hear the whizzing of what sounded like bullets in the trees, and he ducked momentarily around the corner of a house.

“I just tried to keep my eye on the pilot,” Dodson said in an interview. “I was worried that he was heading into the woods.”

After about 12 minutes of running through the trees, he saw a Prince George’s Police Helicopter land in a nearby field. Skirting the rotating blades, he saw the pilot standing at the edge of trees, untangling himself from his parachute cords.

“Are you okay,” Dodson said, coming up and breathing hard.

“Yes,” the pilot answered. “Is everyone okay? I tried to stay away from the neighborhood.”

“I think you did. I think it hit the woods,” Dodson said. “Were you carrying live ammo?”

Dodson said the pilot hesitated, then nodded. “Yes,” he said.

A military helicopter landed. The pilot shook Dodson’s hand, said “Thank you” and began to speak into his handheld radio.

“I just turned around and ran back out of there,” Dodson said.