Air National Guard jet crashes in rural south-central Mo.

~ The pilot was able to eject and had only minor injuries.

BOSS, Mo. -- A pilot was able to eject Friday before his F-15 Air National Guard jet crashed in rural south-central Missouri, authorities said.

The man, whose name and rank were not immediately released, was flown to a St. Louis hospital. Barnes-Jewish Hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Arvin said the pilot was in serious condition Friday afternoon and would probably have to stay at the hospital overnight.

The fighter jet crashed around 10 a.m. in a wooded area near the small, unincorporated community of Boss in Dent County.

"When medical personnel reached [the pilot], they reported he was alert, he was conscious and he was able to answer questions," said Steve Lawhead, a Dent County sheriff's deputy.

The patrol said no buildings were hit and no one on the ground was injured. The one-seater plane, an F-15C Eagle, was from the Missouri Air National Guard's 131st Fighter Wing, based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

Lt. Stephanie Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the 131st Fighter Wing, said the plane had been on a training mission with three other aircraft that returned safely. She said the airspace above the crash site is reserved for training missions.

Additional details about the crash, including the cause, were not available yet.

The plane crashed on private property surrounded by Mark Twain National Forest.

"I heard something fluttering, like something was wrong with the plane," said property owner Dairl Asher, 71. "I heard a bang and I saw some smoke. I got on my four-wheeler and went over there, but I couldn't find it."

Ted Pryor, 34, and David Major, 39, saw the plane circling while taking a break from work at Resource Recycling. They got into a truck and went to the site of the crash, then called authorities.

"You could tell he was scared," Pryor said of the pilot. "He kept saying, 'I feel like I'm going into shock.'"

The 7th Civil Support Team and Black Hawk helicopters were sent to provide security at the crash site, Gov. Matt Blunt said in a news release.

"I am very pleased the pilot was not seriously injured and was able to receive medical treatment quickly," Blunt said.

Another Missouri Air National Guard fighter crashed in May after taking off from Lambert. That fighter, an F-15D, had been conducting drills about eight miles south of Vincennes, Ind., when a jammed cable caused the two-seater plane to crash, according to an Air Force report released last week. The report said the crossover cable was properly installed, inspected and maintained, leaving it unclear why it malfunctioned.

The pilot, a veteran of 15 years of flying, was able to eject and had only minor injuries. No one on the ground was hurt. The plane, valued at $43.7 million, was destroyed.