A fighter pilot on a training mission ditched his jet in a wooded area of a suburban Washington neighborhood early Wednesday so that the plane would avoid crashing into a suburban Washington neighborhood, military officials said.

The F-16C, which military officials said was at least 30 years old and worth $20 million, went down about 200 yards behind a small subdivision of two-story brick homes in the middle-class suburban community of Clinton, about 3 miles southwest of Joint Base Andrews.

The pilot was treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital, Lt. Col. Michael Corker, the pilot's commanding officer, said at a press conference.

The pilot, whose name was not released, is with the District of Columbia Air National Guard and was flying one of four fighter jets from Maryland to a shooting range in Pennsylvania for a training exercise when the crash happened.

Military officials said the plane was armed with "training rounds," which are real bullets that lack the armor-piercing and explosive capabilities of rounds used in combat. Officials said the crash and subsequent fire might have caused some of those rounds to go off.

"Some of the loud noises may have been those rounds," said Lt. Col. Lisa Mabbutt, the base's acting director of emergency management.

US Air Force officials told Fox News that an F-16 from D.C. Air National Guard went down around 9:15 a.m. south of National Harbor in Maryland near Andrews Air Force Base.

In a statement, D.C. Air National Guard officials said the aircraft was flying along a second jet in a “routine training mission” around the greater Washington area.

Prince George's County fire department spokesman Mark Brady told WRC-TV that one pilot parachuted out of the aircraft and was picked up by a military helicopter.

A witness told Fox 5 DC/WTTG that he was sitting on his porch when he heard a loud explosion. He said the jet was on fire and he saw the pilot eject.

“It was the biggest fire ball I’ve ever seen in my life,” Patrick Dotson said.

He said he ran into the woods after the plane crashed and saw the pilot standing up. Dotson said the pilot asked if the neighborhood was OK because he had live rounds on board.

Since 9/11, there is always at least one F-16 on eight minute alert status to take off in the case of emergency.

Wednesday's incident marked the sixth U.S. military non-combat aviation crashes since January 2017. The most recent was on Mar. 14 when three service members assigned to a special operations unit were killed after a single-engine reconnaissance and surveillance plane crashed in eastern New Mexico during a training flight, the Air Force said.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>A US F-16 crashed several miles outside Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday, two Air Force officials told CNN.

The crash took place about six miles outside the base, which is located in Prince George’s County.

The pilot ejected in “an unpopulated area” and “is OK,” one of the officials said, adding that the F-16 was from the 113th Fighter Wing.

Additional information was not immediately available.</s>WASHINGTON, D.C. — A US F-16 crashed several miles outside Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday, an Air Force official told CNN.

The crash took place about six miles outside the base, which is located in Prince George’s County.

The pilot ejected, said the official, who did not have additional information.</s>MARYLAND (CNN) — A US F-16 crashed several miles outside Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday, an Air Force official told CNN.

The crash took place about six miles outside the base, which is located in Prince George’s County.

The pilot ejected, said the official, who did not have additional information.

Stay with CBSPhilly.com for the latest on this developing story.</s>CLINTON, Md. — The Air Force says a pilot is safe after an F-16 crashed in Maryland.

The Air Force said Wednesday that the pilot was on a training mission in an F-16 from the Joint Base Andrews-based 113th Wing. Officials say the pilot ejected and is safe. The plane went down a few miles from Joint Base Andrews.

Prince George’s County fire department spokesman Mark Brady tells WRC-TV that one pilot parachuted out of the aircraft and was picked up by a military helicopter. He says the pilot was found in the same general area as the plane.

Brady says homes in the area are being evacuated. He says there are no other reports of injuries. He didn’t know whether anything on the ground was hit.</s>A D.C. Air National Guard F-16C fighter jet crashed several miles outside Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday

Joint Base Andrews tweeted that the jet was “flying along with other DCANG aircraft in a routine training mission” when the crash occurred.

The crash took place about six miles outside the base, which is located in Prince George’s County.

The pilot ejected in “an unpopulated area” and “is OK,” officials said.

Hyde Field/Washington Executive Airpark, a nearby general aviation airport, posted on social media that the pilot “came down on airport property…and is okay.”

Stay with News 3 for more updates.</s>An F-16 military jet crashed Wednesday morning in Camp Springs, Maryland, near Joint Base Andrews, sources told NBC News.

The pilot ejected successfully, a military official confirmed. There is no update on his injuries.

A second person also ejected from the aircraft.

The Prince George’s County Fire Department confirmed it is investigating a plane crash. Some roads surrounding the crash site were immediately closed, reported NBC Washington.

The U.S. military did not immediately comment about the crash.</s>(FOX NEWS) DEVELOPING – A military fighter jet that left Joint Base Andrews crashed about six miles southwest of the base, officials say.

US Air Force officials told Fox News that an F-16 from DC National Guard went down south of National Harbor in Maryland near Andrews Air Force Base.

The pilot inside ejected safely and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The pilot’s condition is unknown.</s>A D.C. Air National Guard F-16C Fighting Falcon, assigned to the 113th Wing at Joint Base Andrews, Md., crashed at about 9:15 a.m. April 5 approximately six miles southwest of the base.

The aircraft was flying along with other D.C. ANG aircraft in a routine training mission in the greater Washington area. The aircraft carried one pilot.

The pilot ejected and sustained injuries that weren’t life-threatening.

Additional details will be provided as they become available.</s>An F-16C fighter jet crashed Wednesday morning in a wooded area near Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, Maryland, authorities said.

The single-engine aircraft, assigned to the 113th Wing of the D.C. Air National Guard, crashed about 9:15 a.m. just six miles south of the base. Officials at the base said the jet was flying with other Guard planes on a routine training mission.

The aircraft carried only one pilot, who ejected safely and sustained non-life threatening injuries, Andrews officials said.

“It’s very fortunate,” Prince George’s County Fire Chief Ben Barksdale told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “With a very heavily, densely populated area … for the pilot to be able to eject and not be injured, and for the plane to go down in a wooded area.”

Chief Barksdale said there was “trouble with the aircraft” before the crash, but he did not elaborate.

Fire department spokesman Mark Brady said the plane came down between two neighborhoods, about 200 yards from homes, in the area of Temple Hill Road and Woodells Court in Clinton. The crash ignited a small fire, which was quickly extinguished.

Fire officials were unable to confirm the cause of the plane crash, but they said there was no damage to nearby buildings and no one on the ground was injured.

People who live in the immediate area were evacuated to Clinton Grove Elementary School. Evacuees have been cleared to return to their homes. The school did not close.

Joint Base Andrews officials scheduled an afternoon press conference at the base.

Mr. Brady had been posting on social media photos and videos of the crash site. He later posted on Twitter: “At the request of Military Police on location at crash site I will be deleting any video and pictures posted on Social Media of crash area.”

In a tweet, the fire department spokesman advised residents who find anything they believe to be a part of the aircraft not touch or move it. They should call Joint Base Andrews at 240-857-8685.

The 113th Wing of the D.C. Air National Guard protects the nation capital’s airspace and deploys on global missions.

Known as the Fighting Falcon, the F-16 is the Air Force’s supersonic fighter that was first approved for production in 1976.
A USAF F-16 crashes shortly after takeoff from Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County, Maryland. The pilot inside ejected safely and was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.