- Jack Roush confirmed that he lost sight in his left eye after a July 27 plane crash.
- Roush made his first post-crash public appearance this weekend at the NASCAR race.
- Roush says it's very likely he'll be able to fly again.
BROOKLYN, Michigan — Jack Roush lost the vision in his left eye after the plane he was piloting crashed on July 27, but the owner of Roush Fenway Racing insists that he's ready to get back in the cockpit.
"He did lose vision in his left eye, but that's not likely to slow him down much," wrote John Clark, Roush spokesman in response to an e-mailed query Monday from Inside Line.
Roush made his first post-crash public appearance this weekend at the NASCAR races at Michigan International Speedway. Roush, who has long been affiliated with Ford as a supplier, tuner and racecar owner, also gave a lengthy interview to Ford Racing.com, detailing his injuries.
"I had a damaged left cheek," Roush said. "I had a broken jaw and I had a compression fracture in my back and I've got a back brace for the compression fracture. I have hardware in my cheek. Everything will come back and I was blessed to have great vision in two eyes and now I've got great vision in one."
He added: "I think it's very likely that I'll be able to fly. I've got to get recovered. Wiley Post was a one-eyed pilot and there's no restriction. Maybe if you're an airline pilot you can't have one eye, but there's not a reason why I can't fly with one eye."
Roush was flying a Hawker Beechcraft 390 when it crashed during landing at the Oshkosh, Wisconsin airport on July 27.
The National Transportation Safety Board also released its preliminary report on the accident, which seriously injured Roush and a passenger. The NTSB said an amateur video taken at the airport shows that "the airplane appeared to overshoot the runway centerline during (a) turn and level its wings momentarily before entering a slight right bank simultaneously as the nose of the airplane pitched up.
"The airplane then turned left toward the runway centerline and began a descent. During the descent the airplane's pitch appeared to increase until the airplane entered a right bank and struck the grass area west of the runway in a nose-down, right-wing-low attitude."
Roush told FordRacing.com that "I was put in conflict with the flight plan of another airplane close to the ground and I was unable to address the conflict and keep the airplane flying."
Roush says he feels "very lucky."
"It wasn't something silly I was doing erratically or something else that you would say was risky or foolish," he said. "It just happened."
Inside Line says: We get the first real details about what happened to Jack Roush and the compelling story of his comeback. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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torque63 says:
06:51 AM, 08/17/2010
I'm not sure which is scarier......that he wants to fly again with one eye after having survived two crashes that he caused as a pilot......or that the FAA would even allow a one-eyed pilot to fly. There are probably states that won't let you DRIVE with one eye, let alone fly a freaking plane. Unbelievable. I hope he enjoys flying alone, cause he won't get many volunteers for passengers anymore. What an idiot.
wingsnwheels23 says:
03:21 PM, 08/16/2010
As another career pilot, thought I'd chirp in; Very honestly, I agree with clintavo. Roush's comments say it all. The tell-tale "I was the-unfortunate victim of unfortunate circumstances"-rational usually indicates the overconfidence and under-competence which was mentioned. I hope and wish Jack the best, but know the FAA isn't fond of one-eyed pilots.
clintavo says:
02:15 PM, 08/16/2010
As a professional pilot and flight instructor, it sounds to me like overconfidence and under-competence.
He won't lose his license from lack of vision, but he will likely not be able to get a medical certificate. Either way, he's grounded.
cardesigner82 says:
01:48 PM, 08/16/2010
I agree ikingston. I think the loss of sight in his left eye will make him lose his license. If you can only see out of one eye, it changes your depth perception. That has to be a MAJOR factor in aviation!
I'm also glad he's still alive. Afterall, riding in the back of a G5 isn't so bad!
ikingston says:
01:30 PM, 08/16/2010
I am sorry, but I think he needs to have his pilots license revoked. He has been the pilot in couple of other plane crashes. Yes he survived them, but honestly if I were a pilot and have been in more than 2 plane crashes in my life and lived to tell the story, I think I would be hanging up my wings and letting some else fly me around for now on. It's called "knowing your limits."
I am glad he is alive but Jack does not seem to be a very good pilot. IMHO.