Parachute People

When encountering turbulence, it's a good idea to have a parachute at the ready. It's even more important to know who packed the chute.

On a clear spring day, near an airport north of Madison, Wisconsin, Alan Klapmeier almost met his Maker.

He was taking an advanced flying lesson, with an instructor sitting right next to him, when his plane suddenly collided with another one. Klapmeier's wing sliced through the strut that supported the other plane's wing, and that aircraft quickly spun into the ground, killing the pilot.

Alan Klapmeier had to ram the control yoke hard to the left to keep his plane -- now missing part of its right wing -- on course back toward the runway. As he neared a landing, he realized that he had pushed the yoke as far left as it would go. In moments, he was going to begin rolling over to the right. Then his disabled wing would strike the ground, sending the plane into a cart-wheeling crash.

But death took a holiday. With a second to spare, Klapmeier felt the wheels touch the runway. He was "born anew" (v.23).

Now you might think that Alan Klapmeier would walk away from such a harrowing experience...