SAN ANTONIO — A pilot is receiving treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center after a brush with death in the sky over New Braunfels on October 31.
According to a BAMC spokesperson, Todd Unruh was flying a single passenger, Jason Schroeder, in a small plane from Dallas to New Braunfels for a business meeting.
Unruh, an experienced corporate pilot, said he was preparing to land the plane when he saw what he believes was a hawk in a deep dive. “We were traveling about 250 miles per hour when I saw him flying knife-edge heading straight down into our flight path,” he said.
The bird crashed through the windshield, sending shattered glass into his eyes. “I was trying to open my eyes to see but it was excruciating,” Unruh said. He felt dizzy but knew if he passed out, the plane was doomed.
He called out to Schroeder, his passenger, to join him in the cockpit. Under Unruh's instruction, Schroeder kept the plane level as it circled the airport. Air traffic controllers cleared the runways and alerted approaching planes to steer clear as the men circled overhead.
Unruh was familiar with the airport and the plane, so Schroeder called out landmarks. Unruh directed Schroeder on how to land the plane, which came to a stop just inches from the end of the runway.
According to BAMC, an ambulance rushed Unruh to the hospital's Level I Trauma Center for care. The next morning, a specialized team removed the pieces of glass from Unruh’s eyes, along with the damaged natural lens from his left eye.
“Todd’s injury was similar to the types of blast injuries we see downrange; the same type of bilateral blast tattooing,” BAMC ophthalmologist Col. Darrel Carlton said.
Unruh is currently recovering at his home in Florida but said he plans to return to BAMC for follow-up care with the goal of returning to the cockpit when his eyes heal.
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