Training for an deployment on the horizon almost turned into a deadly disaster late Tuesday night when two F-16C jets belonging to the South Carolina Air National Guard collided while flying over Georgia — according to United States military authorities.

Thankfully, both pilots ejected out of their fighters safely and, upon landing, were taken to a local hospital for evaluation before being taken back to their home state.

Colonel Nicholas Gentile Jr. — commander of the 169th Fighter Wing at McEntire Joint National Guard Base — told CNN that both military aircraft ended up in a forested area of Jefferson County.

More from CNN:

Authorities have located the bulk of the wreckage and do not believe anyone on the ground was injured, Gentile said. He said anyone who finds additional pieces of wreckage should not touch them for safety reasons but instead call police or the National Guard.
Gentile declined to discuss what led to the collision but said it occurred during routine training for the unit’s air defense suppression mission.
A lengthy investigation is expected, according to Brig. Gen. Roy McCarty, assistant adjutant general for South Carolina.

Unfortunately, there are no reports right now that detail where the upcoming deployment is, exactly. If we get that information we’ll pass it along in the form of an update to this post (as well as all other additional news pertaining to this incident).