Two F-16 pilots safely escaped after the mid-air collision of the jets over southeast Kansas during a training flight on Monday afternoon.
The fighter jets were part of a four-jet training exercise northeast of the Elk County, Moline when the collision happened, according to Osage SkyNews 6 HD pilot Will Kavanagh. The jet crashed near Moline, Kansas about 100 miles north of Tulsa.
The two Oklahoma Air National Guard pilots are both safe as stated by Oklahoma Guard's Col.Max Moss. One of them ejected safely receiving only minor injuries and the other landed to its base in Tulsa. The pilot who ejected safely was brought to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita to be monitored.
Dakota Chamberlain, a local of Piedmont, Kansas witnessed the incident and tweeted: "Anyone else just see that jet go down?"
Other local residents have also reported about the collision. In The Wichita Eagle's report, Moline City Clerk Lisa Townsley said, "You could look right down Main Street...and see the smoke." Some debris fell in Moline, a town with about 486 residents but no serious damages in parts of the town were reported.
Townsley added that the jet was still on fire at about 4 p.m. but a little after 4, the fire was under control. Personnel from the Kansa Highway Patrol and Elk County Sheriff's Office were seen responding to the scene with McConnell crews to provide emergency procedures.
F-16s from Tulsa use the Smoky Hill Bombing Range in northern Kansas most of the time to conduct training missions. The fighter jets were dispensed to the 138th Fighter Wing based at the airport. F-16s are known for its maneuverability. It remains as one of the essential jets of the US Air Force as well as the reserves and air guards.