Pilot Avoided Clinton Homes Before Crash: Reports

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Local officials and residents expressed relief Wednesday that no one on the ground was injured when an F-16 fighter jet crashed near Clinton, according to media reports. The plane slammed into a wooded area near Temple Hills Road and Woodells Court, but the pilot ejected safely.

The pilot maneuvered the plane to avoid hitting residents on the ground before he ejected, an Air National Guard official said.

"It's very fortunate that we didn't have any lives lost today," Prince George’s County Fire Chief Ben Barksdale said Wednesday at a news conference. Officials said debris from the plane was found about 200 yards from a cluster of homes, but no houses were damaged.

The homes near the crash site were evacuated, and Prince George's County police closed nearby roads Wednesday morning as firefighters put out the blaze, according to media reports. The residents were sent to Clinton Grove Elementary School, but allowed to return to their homes after several hours, WTOP reported.

Most of the debris from the single-engine jet was recovered Wednesday, WTOP reported. But the Prince George's County police cautioned residents that if they find what they believe to be a part of the aircraft, they should not touch or move it, and to call Joint Base Andrews at 240-857-8685.

Residents can also call the Prince George's police at 301-981-2002.

Debris from the plane was found as far away as National Harbor, WRC-TV NBC Channel 4 reported.

The F-16C, part of the D.C. Air National Guard, was on a training mission when it experienced mechanical difficulties shortly after takeoff from Joint Base Andrews at about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday.

The pilot maneuvered to the wooded area about six miles from Andrews, trying to avoid the densely populated area below, said Brig. Gen. George Degnon, an official with the D.C. National Guard, WTOP reported. The 31-year-old pilot then released the plane's fuel tanks and parachuted to the ground.

He was taken to the base for treatment of minor injuries and later released. Military officials did not release his name.

Residents said they saw the plane flying low, and then heard a loud boom and saw black smoke at the site of the crash, NBC4 reported.

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