Report: Jack Roush loses sight in left eye after plane crash, still aims to fly

They say that statistically speaking, flying is safer than driving. Jack Roush might beg to differ with that assessment. After his second life-threatening plane crash in eight years, the NASCAR bigwig was back at the Michigan International Speedway this past weekend to watch his team in action.

Roush's recovery from his injuries during the crash in Oshkosh, WI will be almost complete with one notable exception: Roush has lost the vision in his left eye. For now, Roush also has a back brace to support a fractured spine and piece of hardware in his cheek.

Despite the loss of vision on one eye, The Detroit News indicates that Roush has excellent sight in the right eye and fully intends to fly again once his physical recovery is complete. While there are tougher vision restrictions on commercial pilots, private aviators are evidently allowed to fly with only one eye.

Interestingly, based on a quote in the DetNews article, it sounds like Roush might be blaming the airport's air traffic controller for the plane crash:

"I filed my NTSB report today, which is a matter of public record. It speaks for itself. The reality of it, on a trip arrival into Oshkosh, Wis., 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. I ground-looped the airplane. The airplane did a great job staying intact."

No doubt we'll hear more about this as the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the incident further, but for now, Roush says he just feels extraordinarily lucky.

[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Jason Smith/Getty]