Deaths Arrow

A true story and inspired to write it from these lyrics:

I felt the arrow from death’s fatal quiver
Come so close that it actually grazed me
I bled the blood and I’ve felt the cold shiver
God only knows how He saved me
Garth Brooks

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It was a nice January day in Corpus Christi and we were scheduled to fly a routine training mission. The airplane was a C-131 twin engine plane used for Coast Guard search-and-rescue. She was older than I was, but I liked the old bird…..she was affectionately called “thunder pig”, because she made a lot of noise and was always covered in oil. In the military we maintain flight proficiency by periodically flying a minimum number of hours. On slow months we take training flights to makeup time whenever we are short…..it is basically a fun flight with no particular place to go. I didn't realize I would come to terms with my spirituality in a few hours.

On this particular day I was scheduled with two other pilots. The airplane can fly seven hours, so on these flights we would rotate time at the controls at two-hour intervals; I took the first rotation.

I liked flying in South Texas and particularly along the border. The area is desolate but it has it’s own unique beauty. On clear winter days, like this one, you can see forever. Flying along the border between Laredo and Del Rio and looking south to the horizon, you can see the Mexican Sierra’s in stunning contrast to the South Texas flatlands….it is gorgeous. So I completed my time at the controls and rotated to the co-pilot position, flying back towardsSan Antonio. Later I rotated out of the cockpit for the leg back to Corpus Christi as the third pilot in command.

In the winter months (January & February), fog often drifts to shore in the evening. That is precisely what was happening that evening, it was about 5:00 P.M. As we were making the approach, we could see the blanket of fog rolling in from Padre Island, and the Laguna Madre, to the Naval Airstation. The fog had already covered the airstrip as we approached the field. The pilot made his first approach and had to go-around. During the approach we were on radar with FAA approach control, who then hands the radar tracking to the Naval Airstation controller for landing. If the airplane lands, then the pilot switches to the tower. If it is a go-around, then the pilot contacts the FAA controller, advising of the missed appraoach and requests alternative plans. We made two approach-to-landings that resulted in go-arounds. I was in the back of the plane and was curious to see what was happening in the cockpit, so I got out of my seat to find out; I knew it was too foggy to land. As I appraoched the cockpit…………we crashed.

Sufficient visual sighting of the ground and the horizon are required to make a flare and landing; it is all by feel. Without good visual references a pilot can get vertigo and is unable to gauge and control the proper attitude for landing; that is precisely what happened. He got vertigo and landed hard on the left main landing gear; he hit so hard that the left wingspar (wing support beam) cracked. We rolled down the runway briefly at about 130-MPH. The speed was still fast enough to create lift on the wings. Because the left wing was cracked, the force of the lift caused the wing to separate from the aircraft; kind-of like snapping a pencil. Without support on the left side and the right wing still creating lift, the aircraft “ rotated counterclosckwise and tumbled”. Now we are upside down and backwards skidding for about 1000 feet to a stop from 130 MPH. The controllers didn't realize we had crashed because the fog was so thick the tower couldn't see us and had assumed we had made a go-around. Approach control assumed we had landed safely since we hadn't made contact with them. It was 10-to-15 minutes before they realized we had crashed and sent a fire crew to help us.

At the moment of the crash, I was standing next to the door behind the flight engineer. I was able to see the front windshield; all I saw was blacktop as I peered out the front cockpit windshield. The pilot quickly flared as the airplane made first contact with the ground on the left landing gear, it hit so hard my knees buckled. Then the plane rolled and all hell-broke-loose. You can imagine the noise of a 40,000-pound airplane upside down and sliding down an asphalt runway at a 130-MPH. It was quick, violent, and “extremely” noisy. The airframe cracked just in front of me and there was hot asphalt and dust streaming into the cockpit. At that moment, I was certain I was going to be killed………It was the most horrendous feeling I have ever felt. It wasn't the fear of death but the anticipation of the pain as a result of being crushed and burned. The anticipation of bones breaking and blood spurting, and worst of all the flames burning the face and consuming the skin. It was truly frightening!

Although this event was unfolding in seconds, it appeared like time slowed down and all was happening in slow motion. I called to Christ to spare me the pain……and Jesus Christ himself appeared with outstretched arm amidst the chaos. Then the chaos ceased and aircraft came to rest………. I realized I was O.K. I looked forward to the cockpit to view the flight crew and asked if they were O.K., the flight engineer replied: "Yes"! I could see the legs of the pilot and copilot as they exited the cockpit windows. I looked towards the rear and the other crewmembers were already exiting the back. I started to run towards the back and noticed that the seats were upside down; I finally realized the aircraft was upside down. I exited at the middle hatch, which was about chest high. As I excited the aircraft, I was doused with hydraulic fluid, and when I hit the runway I noticed I was in a puddle of gasoline. I noticed two small flames around the area, and again the fear of fire returned, so I started to run away from the aircraft. At that point, I heard the flight engineer scream for help, he couldn't get out, he had broken his leg and was dragging himself to the exit. I went back to help him. I got him out of the airplane and to a safe location. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, because I was doused in flammable liquids and walking in gasoline; but I did it without thinking. It was only by the grace of God that we didn’t all burn-to-death that January evening.

After the crash, and all of us a safe distant away, we sat and waited in the quiet fog for the emergency crews to arrive. It was sad to see that old bird lying on the runway. She looked like a dead deer on the side of the road. You know how deer are so graceful and beautiful but, laying dead by the roadside with it’s neck cocked to one side and the tongue dangling from it’s mouth, is a sad sight to behold.

I won’t get into the cause of the crash, because that is another story, but I will say something about it’s affects on me, because that is the reason for telling the story. I was relatively young at the time and like most young people, the thought of death was distant. That event made me realize that the fear of death……is the dread of the physical pain and not the transition to the spiritual world. Also, my concept of the spiritual changed from belief to faith. Amid the chaos there emerged serenity and a sense-of-confidence; I have no fear-of-flying..…I have no fear-of-loving. I was ready to embrace life!!!!


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There's two dates in time
That they'll carve on your stone
And everyone knows what they mean
What's more important
Is the time that is known
In that little dash there in between
That little dash there in between

Garth Brooks