Emergency Landing

“I made sure to smile to the 17-year-old and the couple so that they could feel peace.”

I could see the downtown Los Angeles skyline to my right. The plane was about to land. It didn’t. We started to fly back up over the ocean. Shortly thereafter the pilot announced that a flap was broken and that they were going to try to fix it. Most people did not know exactly what he was talking about, including me, and stayed relatively calm. About 15 minutes later we were still over the ocean. The pilot announced that they could not fix the flap and that we were going to go for an emergency landing. My heartbeat started to race!

Immediately I started to think about myself and about how I was not ready to die. I had not been to confession in a couple months. Not being able to finish a full “Our Father” or “Hail Mary,” I just told God that I was sorry for my sins, but most of all that I was thankful for the life he gave me. After that prayer it was easier to forget about myself.

There was a 17-year-old boy next to me. He seemed worried. I took some time to speak with him, told him not to worry, and directed him to what he should do during the landing. To my left, across the aisle, was an Indian couple with a baby. They were both pretty worried. The father asked me what he should do with his baby. I did not know what to tell him, but told him not to worry and that the plane was just going to land faster than usual. I asked the 17-year-old if he could give his jacket to the couple so that they could cover the baby with it. I made sure to smile to the 17-year-old and the couple so that they could feel peace. I sent a text to my family. It said, “I love you. I am happy. See you soon.” (I had to add the “see you soon” part so that they wouldn’t think anything was wrong.)

The emergency landing was a success. The people on the plane were happy, to say the least, all clapping and speaking with one another. To our right and left were several fire trucks and police cars. Speaking with one of the older flight attendants, I learned how rare this situation was, as she had never been in a situation like this all her years. The 17-year-old and the Indian couple thanked me. I thank God for this experience, especially for the opportunity to love him in the people next to me. I realized more than ever that we must always be ready to go to him.

— Karim Chehade, Los Angeles