A US military F-16 fighter jet crashed in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, on Thursday afternoon during a training exercise, with the pilot safely ejecting from the aircraft.

Axar.az reports, citing CNN, that the pilot was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment. The aircraft had been participating in training exercises at a National Guard base in Alpena, Michigan.

Audio captured by LiveATC.net indicated that a military pilot reported a possible emergency after the aircraft apparently struck a bird.

An air traffic controller later said the fighter jet may have lost an engine before the pilot ejected.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.