Capt. Brett DeVries was 150 feet off the ground on a strafing run when the 30 mm gun of his A-10 misfired at the same moment the entire canopy of his aircraft blew off.
DeVries was in the middle of his second run when a “donut of gas” enveloped DeVries’ gun and aircraft.
At that instant the canopy blew off and exposed the pilot to 325 knot winds. The winds overtook his helmet and slammed into his chest. DeVries’ head was buffeted back and forth as he worked to control the aircraft and climb to a higher altitude. He lowered his seat as low as he could in order to avoid the incoming air.
As he tried to assess the situation, hr thought about ejecting, but it was unclear if the damage the gun had done has also damaged the ejection seat.
The explosion also damaged the gears so his only option was to make a belly landing.
Under pressure, it took him 25 minutes to reach the base where DeVries came in shallow and slow, landing centerline and exiting the badly damaged Warthog on his own.
He credits it all to his instincts and training. #warthog #stayzero #zerofoxtrot