True Stories of the Destructive Power of Pride

Dear Friend,

Whom or what do you trust? On July 28, 1945, Lieutenant Colonel William Smith and two passengers were making a routine flight from Bedford, Massachusetts to Newark, New Jersey. Routine, that is, until they approached the skies over New York City. As Smith piloted his B-25 toward Manhattan, he picked up a warning from Newark flight control: Heavy fog and low clouds ahead. The Newark tower advised Smith to alter his course to New York’s La Guardia Airport. But Smith, a decorated veteran with two years of combat service, was not concerned, and insisted on flying the few remaining miles over New York City and landing in Newark as planned.

As he pushed southwest, the control tower warned him that the top of the Empire State Building may not be visible in the dense fog. Again, Smith blithely thanked the tower and pressed on. Moments later, the bomber dipped below the clouds, and Smith and his passengers found themselves amid unusual--and dangerous--scenery: Manhattan’s towering skyscrapers. Smith made a desperate attempt to pull the plane up to safety, but he had already lowered the landing gear, which restricted the plane’s ability to climb. Hopelessly hemmed in, the plane slammed into the 78th and 79th floors of the Empire State Building, exploding on impact. Smith, his passengers, and eleven people in the building were killed. Twenty-five others were injured in the explosion, including one woman who, riding in an elevator, endured a seventy-six-story free fall when a piece of the plane tore through the elevator’s cables.

Would the outcome have been different if Smith hadn’t lowered the landing gear? That’s difficult to say. One thing, though, is certain. If he’d obeyed the tower’s warnings and altered his course, the tragedy would have been avoided. Why did Smith ignore the warnings? I believe a key factor was misplaced trust. He had to make a choice: trust the tower and change course, or trust his instincts and press on. Ultimately, he placed more trust in his own abilities and experience than in the warning system designed to guide and protect him. While the weather and Smith’s decision to lower his landing gear played a part in the tragedy, the final, lethal ingredient was Smith’s mistaken belief that he could safely navigate the fog.

Misplaced trust is not uncommon. In fact, most of us put our trust in the wrong thing at least some of the time--in careers, money, education, and abilities. In medicine, in technology, and in other people. The result of that kind of misplaced trust is heartbreak. Careers change, money runs out, and education doesn’t equip us for every challenge. We face diseases medicine can’t cure, problems technology can’t solve; and people, even loved ones, let us down. Simply put, when we place our trust in the things of this world, we invite disappointment, even disaster.

Pastor John MacArthur

February 28, 2000

In northwestern Tanzania, at the lower end of Lake Victoria, is Mwanza, a small port city, with a long narrow runway. In February, 2000, at about 8:00 pm local time, an Arabian registered B707 cargo aircraft was landing to pick up a load of fish. On the first approach the airport lost power and all its lights (a routine experience there), so the pilot had to go-around until the back-up generators got the lights on again.

On the second approach he was much too far to the right, almost taking out the small terminal and control tower. Missed approach number two.

On the third approach (from over the lake with no visual reference) the control tower called him to say, "you are too low, pull up," to which the Captain replied, "don't worry, I know what I am doing." About five kilometers short of the runway, he hit the water, tore off all four engines and the landing gear, but didn't puncture the fuselage. With battery power & the taxi lights on, they were picked up by a fishing boat (no injuries).

The following day, it was still afloat, so a tug towed it to shallow water near the airport, where it will probably be a beacon for many years. Maybe the pilot misunderstood where he was supposed to pick up the load of fish?