700 MPH Survival: Kegan Gill’s Record-Breaking Navy Ejection
May 12, 2026
fighter pilot Kegan Gill to recount the most violent ejection in naval history. Kegan shares his journey from a "wild" childhood in Michigan to the cockpit of an F/A-18 Super Hornet, leading up to the split-second decision in January 2014 where he chose a "non-survivable" ejection over certain death.
Kegan Gill’s path to naval aviation was anything but traditional. A self-described "wild child" who hated the classroom, he transitioned from a kiteboarding instructor and corporate pilot to a "good stick" in the Navy’s most elite strike fighter community. After earning his wings and joining the legendary VFA-143 "Puking Dogs," Kegan found himself in the middle of a high-stakes training mission that would redefine his life.
The heart of Part 1 dives into the technical and psychological lead-up to the mishap. Kegan details the "morbid humor" in the ready room involving a 16-foot Great White shark named Mary Lee, and the technical phenomenon known as the "G-bucket" that trapped his jet in a terminal dive. Traveling at 695 miles per hour—95% the speed of sound—Kegan describes the harrowing final seconds as he pulled the ejection handle just two seconds before impact, hitting a wall of air 100 times the force of a hurricane.
What You’ll Learn:
- The "Unlikely" Aviator: How Kegan’s background in kiteboarding provided accidental training for surviving underwater entanglements.
- The G-Bucket Trap: Why the Super Hornet’s flight control software limited Kegan’s ability to pull out of a transonic dive.
- Carrier Qualification Dangers: The reality of soloing a T-45 Goshawk onto a carrier deck and why the mishap rates are higher than in the fleet.
- The Speed of Survival: The physical and technical reality of ejecting at nearly 700 MPH, a region of the flight envelope previously considered unsurvivable.
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Highlights and YouTube Chapters:
- [00:00] Intro: Surviving the fastest ejection in naval aviation history.
- [03:01] Michigan Roots: From climbing trees to the "flying lawnmower" Cessna.
- [05:31] The Real-Life "Accountant": Flying for a Vietnam veteran with a photographic memory.
- [12:04] Tailhook Pipeline: The intensity of carrier qualifications and the "clown jet".
- [20:49] The Shark Tracker: The chilling ready room joke about Mary Lee the Great White.
- [24:15] The G-Bucket: Losing control of the aircraft at the edge of the sound barrier.
- [29:43] Two Seconds: The decision to pull the handle and the impact of the sound barrier.
Episode Resources:
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