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In-Flight Scare Provides Opportunity for Witness
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (January 15, 2001) - Dallas Anderson, former associate director of prayer and evangelism for the Evangelical Covenant Church, was aboard a Northwest Airlines flight that narrowly avoided disaster and completed an emergency landing at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport the evening of January 10.
The Northwest plane was en route to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, when one of its engines burst into flames. Once safely on the ground, passengers were transferred to another flight that left about an hour and a half later. No one was seriously injured in the episode.
Anderson, who now works with Mission America, said the experience provided an opportunity to reflect on his own faith. In a report to friends and colleagues he wrote, "I doubt that there is a person on board that didn't think about the meaning of life that night."
Northwest Airlines officials said the Wednesday night incident was an emergency landing "in name only." While no one on board was injured, the experience was disquieting to many, said Anderson.
"Soon after take-off we experienced several loud bangs and a definite shaking of the plane," said Anderson, an ordained minister living in Lake Norden, South Dakota. "This was followed by an immediate nosedive, which lasted for just a short time. The pilot was able to level off the plane even though it remained somewhat unstable for a time. He was able to turn the plane around and do an emergency landing back at the airport."
Anderson enjoys talking about Jesus, so an opportunity to talk to scared passengers about his faith was a welcome surprise. "God gave me a wonderful sense of peace and calm thru the midst of the time, which allowed for some wonderful conversations," Anderson said.
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