Pilot survived a 700 mph ejection — then fought to heal his brain
Kegan Gill ejected from his F/A-18E Super Hornet at nearly 700 mph during a 2014 training dogfight, the fastest ejection in naval aviation history, and then spent hours in the ocean with a broken neck before he was recovered. In a conversation with Shawn Ryan on the Shawn Ryan Show, Gill walks through how he rebuilt his body and mind after that crash, and why he now speaks openly about brain injury, addiction, and veteran mental health.
Snapshot
The episode centers on Gill's 2014 ejection and survival in the Atlantic, the traumatic brain injury and PTSD that followed, and his eventual return to the cockpit. Gill tells Shawn Ryan that a psychedelic experience became a turning point in his recovery, describing it as a spiritual awakening that reconnected him to himself. He also criticizes how the military and VA medical system handle brain injuries in veterans like him.
Key points
- The ejection: Gill says he survived the fastest ejection in naval aviation history, bailing out of his Super Hornet at nearly 700 mph before enduring a difficult recovery from the Atlantic with a broken neck.
- TBI gets overlooked: Gill tells Ryan that his traumatic brain injury was effectively unacknowledged by military medicine, which he says defaulted to a PTSD diagnosis instead of addressing the underlying brain trauma.
- Criticism of the VA system: Gill argues the pharmaceutical industry shapes VA treatment policy, pushing medication over cures, a claim he says was echoed by an admiral-level flight surgeon he spoke with.
- Psychedelics in recovery: Gill credits a psychedelic experience with ending his drinking and reshaping his life, calling it transformational and spiritual.
- Back to the sky: Despite catastrophic injuries, Gill eventually returned to flying and now advocates for veteran mental health, a journey he also details in his book, Phoenix Revival.
Quick take
This is a firsthand account worth hearing straight from the pilot, not a secondhand summary. Gill's description of surviving an ejection at combat speed, then fighting through TBI and PTSD to get back in an F/A-18, is the kind of story that carries more weight in his own words and tone.
Watch the full video: Shawn Ryan Show