Intervention

Peter Garrison

Friday, October 24, 2008 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

An experienced pilot, carrying passengers, crashed an A36 Bonanza shortly after takeoff in gusty weather, with witnesses observing the aircraft struggling to maintain control before impact.
Prior to the flight, the pilot exhibited uncharacteristic nervousness and confusion regarding basic cockpit controls (magnetos, starter, fuel pump), despite owning a similar plane and having extensive hours in the accident aircraft type.
The NTSB found no mechanical malfunction, attributing the accident to the pilot's failure to maintain control, underscoring the missed pre-flight indicators that suggested the pilot was unfit to fly.

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I went to a Catholic grammar school (where they actually taught grammar, by the way — a dying art). The Sisters of the Holy Cross, always eager to tamp down heresy among the 10-year-olds, dealt with the conundrum of evil and God’s will (if God is all-good, why does He allow bad things to happen?) by the example of two trains heading in opposite directions on the same track, but hidden from one another by a hill. A human observer atop the hill sees the disaster impending, but is powerless to prevent it. God, on the other hand, sees all, and has the power. Why does He not act?

Unfortunately, I’ve forgotten the punch line. I suspect it must have had something to do with our not understanding the big picture. This was the ’50s; maybe there was a communist on one of the trains.