A sudden violent turbulence was followed immediately by a drastic drop in altitude, and Ade found herself flung towards the ceiling of the plane, hitting her head with a loud bang. When she fell back onto her seat, Ade was shocked to find that her husband Amos had disappeared. In panic, she called out his name, and Amos responded from behind her to her great relief.
Unlike Ade, Amos did not fasten his seat belt in time, and he was flung two rows behind, landing on the lap of another passenger. “I must have blacked out for a few seconds and suffered a mild concussion, as I still cannot recall what actually happened. It was a miracle I wasn’t badly hurt, and neither was the passenger whom I landed on!” said Amos. “It was as if God had sent an angel to cushion his fall,” added Wai Lup, Amos’ father.
Amos and Ade were on their way home from their honeymoon on that fateful SQ321 flight that suffered mass injuries as a result of severe air turbulence. When Amos returned to his seat next to Ade, they surveyed the chaotic situation around them, and almost instinctively, Amos led them in a short prayer. “We prayed for God to be in control, to help the pilots and passengers, to stabilise the plane and to bring us home safely. We also thanked God that we were still with each other,” recalled Amos. Ade added that Amos’ prayer “served as a timely reminder that God is always with us, especially during this turbulence, and that gave us a sense of peace throughout the entire ordeal.”
Up to that point, Amos and Ade had not yet realised how bad the situation was until they responded to the call for those with medical training to help out with injured passengers. Both Amos and Ade are currently junior medical doctors working in local hospitals. “It was a mass casualty situation, like nothing we have experienced before,” said Amos. At that time, there was still turbulence being felt on the plane, but “we did not have time to process our fears as we responded immediately to the call for medical assistance”, recalled Ade.
While Amos attended to passengers at the rear of the plane, Ade went to check on a passenger who had lost consciousness. Together with another doctor, Ade tried to resuscitate the passenger whose heart had stopped. At that time, Ade did not realise that she had sustained a fracture of her neck spine. “Somehow, I decided to call out for anyone who could perform CPR so that I could focus on the ventilation of the passenger, and two guys responded”, said Ade. “It must’ve been God’s providence that Ade did not have to do the chest compression for the passenger, otherwise her spine fracture may have become unstable, with dire consequences,” Wai Lup, also a medical doctor reflected. More angels sent by God to protect Ade!
Only when Amos and Ade returned to their seats as the pilot was about to land the plane at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport did Ade start to experience pain in her neck. “Esther 4:14 came to my mind as I reflected on how God had placed them in such a time as this, to help others selflessly as disciples of Christ, and at the same time, God had protected both of them despite their injuries,” said Wai Lup. Currently, Ade is using a neck brace to protect her spine as her fracture will take several months to heal.
“We are so proud of Amos and Ade in how they responded during this crisis,” added Joy, Amos’ mother. Joy felt a sense of unease when she heard that the flight arrival was delayed, and she immediately spent some time praying even before finding out about the severity of the air crisis. Having committed the situation to God, both Joy and Wai Lup experienced God’s peace while waiting for updates from the couple.
Amos and Ade are both members of Wesley Methodist Church and have been brought up in Christian homes. They said that their faith in the Lord had put them in good stead throughout the whole ordeal. Being part of a Small Group in church and having served in several ministries, Amos and Ade are also surrounded by a community of Christian friends who have been supporting them with prayers, home visits, and their favourite food.
“We are thankful for this period of rest as we recuperate at home. We really appreciate all the love and care from our family and friends,” said Ade. “Even when I had the uncertainty over whether I would require surgery for my neck fracture, I could experience God’s goodness and presence through our family and friends who rallied around us.”
Both Amos and Ade shared this takeaway, comparing the turbulent flight to turbulence in life: “To fly above the turbulence of life and land safely, we must have faith that God will not test us beyond what we can endure. This entire experience has shown us that during tough times, God shows His faithfulness by bringing people into our lives to support us, be it family or friends. God can put us into positions to be a blessing to others even in the most unexpected ways. As we look back, it was still a surreal experience for us. Yes, we experienced turbulence, but He never abandoned us.”
“God was in control, and He was there on flight 321 with us. Ultimately, we trust that God is sovereign and in control of our lives. It reaffirms our faith to put our complete trust in Him.”
Amos Chan and Ade Tan worship at the 11.30am Prayer and Praise service of Wesley Methodist Church and served at various church ministries. Both Amos and Ade are medical doctors working in government-restructured hospitals. They were recently married and are both avid travellers.
Photos courtesy of the Chan family
