Miracles in the Sky
The story of an airplane that should have come apart in the sky with my son piloting it.
From an early age, my son Justin was always infatuated with airplanes. He made paper planes, of all types, and tested them to see which flew best. Justin was always thrilled when the Air Force bases had their annual air shows. Because Ken, my husband, was active duty, we were able to get Justin to the planes prior to the show opening to the public. This brought extra excitement and gave Justin some time to explore without crowds.
At three years old, Justin said, “Mom, one day I am going to be a pilot, and you will fly on my plane. When this happens, you will have to do everything I say. I will be in charge.” He then made me an airplane pin to wear on my clothing. I wore it proudly on special occasions and quietly tucked the pin in my jewelry box in anticipation of the day that Justin would earn his wings.
Thirty years later, “that day” finally arrived. I proudly went to my jewelry box and pinned on the plane for my very first plane ride with my son, Justin. He would be the pilot, which means he was in charge. He would tell me what to do, instead of him taking orders from me. I obeyed my son, enjoyed the flight, and was so happy I had carefully kept the airplane pin in a safe place.
That was the beginning of our entire family enjoying our Cessna 310. We began flying to what was once too far away for a day trip. And we always did what the pilot said!
Trouble In the Sky
A few days after Christmas, while getting my hair cut, I received a phone call from my husband, Ken. “AnnaLee, we have a problem. It’s Justin. He is in the plane, and the landing gear will not come down.” I began to ask all types of questions: “How could this happen? It was just certified safe to fly.” “Could Justin put the wheels down manually?” “What’s going to happen?” “How dangerous will this emergency landing be? Ken picked me up from town and we immediately drove to McKinney Airport where Justin had already declared an emergency landing. Justin chose McKinney airport because he knew they would have emergency equipment and he was very familiar with their runway. Afterall, this is where he received his pilot training.
During our forty-five-minute drive, I began to pray. I called family to pray with us and thus the prayer chain began. We listened to the tower speak with Justin. We talked about all types of scenarios that might happen. As I was getting out of the truck at the airport, I heard people saying, “There’s going to be a plane crash. Let’s go watch.”
They waited for a “plane crash”
“That’s my son they are talking about!” Ken and I entered the busy lobby where we would stay for three and a half hours while Justin burned off fuel. The lobby was full of student pilots and instructors. Student pilots had been released from their training so they could watch this educational moment. It seemed like a party atmosphere, “We’re going to see a plane crash,” claimed several students. During this time, I wept and cried out to God. Sometimes I was on my knees, at other moments I would sit on the ledge in the window or in a chair. I poured my heart. I told God, “You gave Justin to us. He is, foremost, your child because you created him. God, I ask that you spare his life. Give Justin wisdom to know what to do. Protect him somehow.”
Monitoring the Radio
We continued to monitor Justin on the radio. Justin called other experienced 310 pilots to ascertain if there was anything else he could do. No suggestions were given, yet many encouraging words were shared. Finally, Justin radioed the tower and made one more fly by. The tower verified that the landing gear was only partially down. It was anticipated that the gear would collapse upon landing and the plane would skid on its belly down the runway. Most of my family had gathered together in prayer.
Prayer in Times of Trouble
I facetimed my family so they could see what would happen. Talking out loud to my family, I said, “I just have to pray one more time.” This time, instead of praying silently, I prayed out loud, for I was praying with my family. My voice carries and I was crying out loud as I spoke. “God, Justin is your child. You promise to care for your children. Please take care of Justin as he lands this plane. I ask that you keep it from crashing…” Ken said as I spoke, the entire atmosphere in the lobby changed. Students realized this was a real person in that plane and his mother was petitioning God for help. The party atmosphere of seeing a plane crash suddenly changed to a somber moment.
Emergency Preparations
Ready to land, the tower closed the airport and sent out emergency vehicles. Justin sent us a message, “I love you mom and dad.” This hit my heart hard, as I realized I might not ever hug my son again. These could be his last, sweet words. Watching the ambulance and fire trucks come out and listening to the tower close to the airport for Justin, I began to narrate each and every move for my family. (I was not very good at facetiming, as the pictures were blurry.) Everyone in the airport heard me now, as I talked about seeing the plane, it is coming down, it’s very close to the runway, etc. Justin prayed as he approached the runway. He told God that he knew if he died, he would go to heaven. He just asked that if this happened, that he not die in a fiery crash. Then, he began his ascent down.
Justin sent us a message, “I love you mom and dad.” This hit my heart hard, as I realized I might not ever hug my son again. These could be his last, sweet words. Watching the ambulance and fire trucks come out and listening to the tower close to the airport for Justin, I began to narrate each and every move for my family. (I was not very good at facetiming, as the pictures were blurry.) Everyone in the airport heard me now, as I talked about seeing the plane, it is coming down, it’s very close to the runway, etc. Justin prayed as he approached the runway. He told God that he knew if he died, he would go to heaven. He just asked that if this happened, that he not die in a fiery crash. Then, he began his ascent down.
Justin kept the nose of the plane up as long as possible. It looked similar to when the Space Shuttle would land, gliding gently to the ground with the nose pointing almost straight to the sky. When the back tires hit the ground, the pressure of the landing caused the gear to move out which caused the nose gear to move as well. The gear was not locked in, but it was no longer at a 45-degree angle. Justin landed so perfectly that, although the gear was not locked in, it did not collapse. As we watched Justin exit the plane and talk with the emergency crew, we were overjoyed. We immediately made our way to the runway so we could be reunited with our son. We all thanked God for answers to prayer.
Experienced pilots that were watching said that this was a miracle, Justin should never have been able to land that plane. An inspector that looked over the plane found cracks in the plane’s body. He said, “This plane should have broken apart in the air. It should have never been able to land.” Later, upon further inspection, it was found that the landing gear, which had been replaced a few months earlier, was improperly installed. This is what caused the issue. Due to the cost of replacement repairing, the plane had to be sold for scrap.
Miracles still exist. We witnessed several that day: Justin landing a plane without a mishap. The plane stayed together, even though the landing gear was pushing out on the fuselage and causing it to crack. The landing gear moved forward enough upon landing to keep the plane from doing a belly landing. We were sad to lose a plane that day, but we witnessed God’s hand upon Justin.
God gave me to verses that day which he proved to be very true. These verses are very real to me and will always be written upon my heart: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 “Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
If this story resonated with you, you may also enjoy Stories From the Road to read more Christian life reflections. Or, visit my Let’s Talk page–I’d love to hear from you.