My Agony on Flight 232
As told by a survivor
When United Airlines Flight 232 crashed in an Iowa cornfield last year, 110 passengers and crew died. But, remarkably, 186 survived.
“WE’RE going to make an emergency landing in Sioux City,” the pilot warned. “It’s going to be rough.”
It was July 19, 1989, and my husband and I were on our way to Chicago to attend a convention of a computer company that my husband, Kevin, managed. We had already flown from Albuquerque to Denver, where we met up with a friend going to the same convention but on another flight. I remember that we joked about who would reach Chicago first. Our plane, United Flight 232, left first; the other was scheduled to take off about ten minutes later.
Trouble on Board
Suddenly, during our in-flight meal, there was a loud noise, and the plane began to shake and lose altitude. Shortly thereafter the pilot announced that we’d lost an engine and that we would be late arriving in Chicago. He sounded calm.
The flight attendants were concerned but not extraordinarily so. Everyone was talking about the situation, but there was no panic. Later, I learned that the plane could fly only to the right because the hydraulic lines had been cut when an engine disintegrated.
Soon the pilot announced that we would land in Sioux City, Iowa, and would have a rough landing. He said that everything should be all right, but he instructed us to prepare for a crash landing. The flight attendants demonstrated how to tighten our seat belts and grab our ankles.
From the moment the engine broke up, I started crying, and I couldn’t stop. Kevin held me, and he said a prayer to Jehovah God for both of us. How glad we were that our two girls, ages six and two, were not with us on this trip!
The woman next to me, with her two boys, reached over and held my hand as we prepared to land. The plane descended smoothly, and I really thought that we had made it when I imagined that we had touched down.
Survival and Hospitalization
I kept my eyes closed and felt as though I were on a roller coaster, seeing sunlight through my closed eyes. The last thing I remember was that my shoes were being sucked off, and I tried to curl my toes to keep them on.
When I opened my eyes, it was dark, and I was moving. My seat was being turned over by a rescuer. We were in a field. It was black and green, and the sun was shining brightly. Kevin was still strapped in next to me. I called his name, but he didn’t answer.
They put me on the ground, where I raised myself up on my elbows. I asked if my husband had made it. The rescuer shook his head no. I just relaxed. During the ambulance ride, I heard all the sounds but was not really listening. I could feel my eye swelling.
At the Marion County Health Center, the people were caring and helpful, especially a nurse named Lori. I was alert enough to give her my sister’s telephone number in Albuquerque, and she called to let my family know that I was alive.
I really thought that since I was in Iowa, no one would be there to see me. But that first night, two elders from the local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses visited me in the hospital. The local Witnesses continued to visit, call, and write during my four-day stay. United Airlines opened an account at J. C. Penney’s, and the Witnesses shopped for me so that I could have something to wear.
The next day I was surprised again when my mother, my sister, and Kevin’s brother and parents all arrived to be with me. None of them would let me think Kevin was dead, so I still entertained a glimmer of hope that he might be among the unidentified injured.
When I watched the television news, I couldn’t believe what I saw. I didn’t even know we had crashed! When I thought that the plane had just touched down, I had assumed we were safe. I hadn’t even stopped to analyze why we were out of the plane. The row of seats Kevin and I were in was behind the wing. We were in the middle section of five seats, and when the plane broke apart, our seats tumbled out on the ground. Kevin and the woman next to me died, but her two small boys and I survived.
One rescuer—the only one I remembered—visited me in the hospital. That certain ones lived and others died bothered him. It was a matter of ‘time and unforeseen occurrence befalling those involved,’ I explained. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) God didn’t appoint certain people to seats where they would be killed and others to seats where they would survive. I gave him the Bible tract What Hope for Dead Loved Ones? and the brochure “Look! I’m Making All Things New.” We hugged, and I think he felt a little better when he left.
Lori, who tended to my wounds in the emergency room, continued to visit me throughout my hospital stay, even though I wasn’t on her list of patients. She admired my inner strength, and I tried to explain to her that I derived it from my God, Jehovah, who was helping me to cope.—Psalm 121:1-3.
Continuing to Cope
By Sunday, July 23, I was ready to complete my recuperation at home. As we boarded the plane, I gave myself calming pep talks and concentrated on my breathing so as not to panic. When my two-year-old, Mercedes, saw me all bandaged and bruised, she wouldn’t have anything to do with me. It took three or four days for her to warm up to me again. Tarrah was glad to have her mother back, but she missed her dad.
Being with those who knew Kevin and who had seen his spiritual progress (he was to be baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in October) made it harder for me to face the reality of his death. Some say Santa Fe never saw a bigger funeral than his. He knew how to be a friend and had touched many people’s lives.
I realized that I needed to keep busy and that there is no better activity than the Christian ministry. In April and May, I had shared in the auxiliary pioneer work, a form of full-time ministry. Now I was determined to do so again in September. Being involved with other people and their problems was indeed helpful. I also set about doing things around the house, such as putting blinds on the windows, wallpapering the dining room and den, and refinishing the dining-room table.
At the time of the accident, I was conducting two home Bible studies with people interested in God’s Word, and after the crash a former student wanted to resume her study. All three students asked: ‘Why did Jehovah save you and not Kevin, since he also was doing his utmost to please God?’
I explained to them the difference between an act of God and a natural disaster or an accident. With an act of God, we are given divine warning that something is going to happen. An example is the Flood of Noah’s day. In that case God told Noah what to do to avoid the calamity. He was to build an ark. On the other hand, accidents and natural disasters are unforeseen and affect everyone indiscriminately, good and bad. No one knew anything was going to go wrong with our plane. If they had known that, nobody would have boarded it. My survival was as much an accident as was Kevin’s death.
People who tell me how “strong” I am don’t realize how often I am close to tears. It is taking a while to get over my experience. I can talk about Kevin or see pictures and be fine until I’m alone; then I cry. It pains me greatly that I lost my mate after so short a period of time together, just seven years.
My little daughters pay more than the usual attention to any Christian brothers that come over to visit, holding onto their legs at times so they won’t leave. Tarrah was angry for a while and at times cried without knowing exactly why. She does well in school, though, and tries to tell her schoolmates about the resurrection.—John 5:28, 29.
We are trying to simplify our lives and make the Christian ministry a way of life. With Jehovah’s help we will accomplish that. About a year ago, a friend encouraged me to go ahead and begin serving as a regular pioneer. I am happy that I accepted that encouragement. As a full-time minister, helping others learn about God’s purposes has helped me keep in focus God’s grand purpose to create an earthly paradise and resurrect dead loved ones. (Luke 23:43; Revelation 21:3, 4)—As told by Lydia Francis Atwell.
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With my husband before the flight
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UPI/Bettmann Newsphotos