Pastor Timothy C. Bourman was on board Southwest Flight 1380 with his wife Amanda earlier this month when the plane was forced to make an emergency landing because of a catastrophic left engine failure.
The pastor, who was flying from New York to Dallas for a church retreat, thought it was the end for them but in his darkest moment turned to prayer. He told the New York Times that while grabbing his wife's hand, he uttered: "Dear Jesus, send some angels. Just save us from this."
Amanda, on the other hand, was able to call her father-in-law using the plane's Wi-Fi system and told him about the engine failure. She also asked him to pray and to tell their three daughters that they love them and that Jesus Christ is always with them.
Bourman, who is from the Sure Foundation Lutheran Church in Queens, also wrote on Facebook that he felt scared, trusting and prayerful all at the same time. He also said that the experience made him look at life differently.
Pilot Tammie Jo Shults successfully landed the badly crippled plane after 20 minutes in Philadelphia and saved 148 lives, including the crew members. Friends and family have said that Shults credits God for their safe landing. They described the heroic Shults, who flew for the Navy early in her career, as a woman of strong Christian faith.
The incident, however, had one fatality in Jennifer Riordan, who sat by the window near the left engine that broke apart. Debris from the engine smashed through the window next to Riordan, and she was partially sucked out of the window. Passengers tried to help the mom of two but she tragically died due to blunt force trauma.
In a statement, Southwest Airlines said: "Our hearts are heavy. On behalf of the entire Crew, we appreciate the outpouring of support from the public and our coworkers as we all reflect on one family's profound loss."
Southwest Airlines also sent letters of apology to each of the passengers of Flight 1380. A check for $5,000 and a $1,000 travel voucher also came with the letters.
