Military retrieves pilot safely after Texas F-16 fighter jet crashes near DeRidder

FILE – In this Feb. 24, 2019, file photo, U.S. fighter aircraft F-16 perform aerobatic maneuvers on the last day of Aero India 2019 at Yelahanka air base in Bangalore, India. The Trump administration has informed Congress it plans to sell F-16 fighters worth $8 billion to Taiwan in a move that will inflame already high tensions with China. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi, File)

by: Scott Lewis

Posted: Mar 23, 2022 / 02:17 PM AST

Updated: Mar 23, 2022 / 04:44 PM AST

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DERIDDER, La. (KLFY) — UPDATE, 3/23/2022, 4:40 p.m.: An Air Force F-16 assigned to the 138th Fighter Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard crashed today in Beauregard Parish after departing from Texas for a routine training mission, according to the Oklahoma National Guard.

The pilot was safely ejected and was recovered with no serious injuries. The 138th Fighter Wing is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but the pilot and aircraft were taking part in a routine training mission that departed from Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, Texas.

Air Force and civilian emergency first responders immediately responded to the scene of the crash and have no reported injuries at this time.

The incident is under investigation and additional details will be provided once released by the Air Force.

ORIGINAL POST, 3/23/2022, 1:05 p.m.: The pilot is safe and no injuries were reported after an F-16 fighter jet crashed in a wooded area south of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish at around 11:15 a.m. this morning.

Louisiana State Police Troop D Public Information Officer Tpr. Derek Senegal said the pilot of the craft was safely ejected and was retrieved by military personnel from Fort Polk after the jet crashed around two miles south of the 1500 block of Bertrand Rd. The crash area is an unpopulated area off a logging road, according to the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office. The crash site is roughly 50 miles south of Fort Polk.

It is currently unclear what the F-16 was involved in at the time of the crash. It is also unknown where the jet was headed to or from. Fort Polk personnel told News 10 the plane belongs to the Texas Air National Guard and was not based at or working for Fort Polk. News 10 has been unable to reach any officials from Texas Air National Guard.