On July 18, 1969, I was nineteen years old and had just gotten my commercial pilot's license. I was sitting in the co-pilot seat of a twin-engine plane in North Hollywood, eager to learn from my experienced flight instructor. We were third in line for takeoff.
The Fatal Plane Crash
Then everything went wrong. The plane never gained proper altitude. At 135 miles per hour, we crashed directly into a seven-story monument called the Portal of the Folded Wings - a mausoleum dedicated to famous deceased aviators. The irony was not lost on me later.
Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed instantly. I should have died too. Everyone thought I had.
My Near Death Experience Heaven
What happened next is difficult to describe with human words. I found myself hovering above the crash site, looking down at the wreckage, at the bodies - including my own. I saw my body lying there on the ground. I know this sounds impossible, but I was above it, watching.
For three days, I was somewhere between life and death. During that time, I experienced heaven. Not a dream. Not a hallucination from the medications. Something more real than anything I had experienced on earth.
One of the first things I was shown was the day I gave my life to Christ when I was eleven years old. I experienced light, unity, love - things I struggle to put into words even now. The beauty was overwhelming. The presence of God was tangible.
Miraculous Recovery and Return
When I finally regained consciousness, I was a wreck physically. My injuries were severe - broken bones, internal damage, my face reconstructed. Doctors said I would never fly again. But exactly one year after the crash, on July 18, 1970, I flew a plane directly over the monument I had crashed into.
Sharing God's Truth Worldwide
For forty years, I kept this story mostly to myself. My grandfather advised me to "live" my experience rather than talk about it. So I did. I returned to flying professionally - becoming an airline pilot, instructor, and jet flight examiner. I also became a Bible teacher, evangelist, and volunteer missionary pilot in over fifty countries.
Eventually, I felt released to share what happened. I stopped counting conversions after thirty thousand people came to Christ through my testimony. But numbers aren't the point. The point is that heaven is real, Christ is real, and there is more waiting for us than we can possibly imagine.
