A pilot was lucky to escape with just a cut on his head after a bird came smashing through the windshield of his aircraft as he was flying 1,000 ft above the ground.
The goose-sized bird met with a grizzly end when it collided straight into the pilot-side window as the aircraft was flying at 170mph across Fort Myers in Florida.
A few body parts found in the cabin, including a leg, are now being analysed to determine the species of the bird.
Footage of the event, captured on pilot Robert Weber’s mobile phone, shows him being hit and then attempting to regain control of his 1986 Piper Saratoga light aircraft.
In his six minute video, Mr Weber can then be seen safely landing the plane, despite being covered in shards of glass, blood and feathers.
“The windscreen just exploded,” Mr Weber told told The News Press. “First thing that came to mind was the first thing I was told when I started flying, and that was ‘just fly the f****** plane.
Mr Weber made a mayday call and took the plane off autopilot before landing with the help of the tower controller. “The wind got my eyes real bad, and I tried to cup the mic so the controller could hear me,” he said. Other pilots assisted by relaying his transmissions to the tower.
He emerged from the vehicle at Page Field unscathed aside from a cut on his head. “I fully expected to find the rest of the bird when I landed,” he said. “All I found were my glasses.”
Luck and a calm, cool professional demeanor got him back on the ground in one piece. Good job sir!