Fighter jet flown by son of Oklahoma AG candidate crashes in Louisiana

An F-16 fighter jet flown by the son of a candidate running for Oklahoma attorney general crashed in rural Louisiana on Wednesday.  

The Oklahoma Air National Guard pilot, who ejected before his aircraft crashed in Beauregard Parish, is the son of Republican candidate Gentner Drummond, a former Air Force captain, according to a Facebook post written Wednesday. 

“I am thankful today that God was watching over my son,” Drummond wrote. “Some of you may recall that Alexander is a fighter pilot, just like I was as a young man. This morning, he had to do something I never did: eject from his F-16 before it crashed.” 

At the time of the accident, Alexander Drummond was participating in a routine training mission out of Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, Texas, flying an F-16 from the Oklahoma Air National Guard’s 138th Fighter Wing, the state’s Guard said in a statement.  

He safely ejected and was recovered with no serious injuries, and there were no reported injuries on the ground, according to the Guard.  

The crash is under investigation. 

Gentner Drummond said his son ‘is receiving outstanding medical care and is expected to make a full recovery.” 

“When you serve in the military, you put your life on the line day-in and day-out – whether our country is at war or not,” Drummond wrote. “As an American, I thank my son for his service and his commitment to fighting for our freedom.”