On a dare from his copilot, the pilot of a Russian airliner attempted a blind landing-and crashed.
Two minutes before landing, the pilot ordered the flight engineer to pull blinds over the windshield. He wanted to bring the plane down using only instruments. (Blind landings were allowed only on training flights and required an experienced instructor with full visibility to be in the next seat, but the pilot broke every rule.)
During the plane’s descent, the pilot made several misjudgments. At 0.8 seconds before landing, the blinds were released, which revealed that they were missing the runway. The pilot tried to abort the landing, but it was too late. The plane struck, made a gigantic leap, overturned and caught fire.
The pilot, urged on by the copilot, caused a meaningless loss of life. What a picture this is of many souls today who, urged on by the god of this world (Satan), lower blinds over the eyes of their hearts lest the light from the glorious gospel of Christ should shine into them and they should be converted and saved. The devil would have men attempt “blind landings” into eternity, and he does all he can to keep them in the dark spiritually. He knows that, unless a soul repents and turns to Christ, that soul will spend eternity in hell with him. This is what he wants.
The pilot was one of a handful of survivors of the crash. For his rashness, he was tried and sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
A Russian newspaper’s report of the trial said that the pilot performed the action in an attempt to test his flying abilities. It blamed the crash on his “exaggerated sense of self-assurance.”
Won’t you let these familiar verses, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)), and, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)), abolish your sense of self-assurance as far as making it into heaven by your abilities is concerned?
At Calvary’s cross the Lord Jesus died for sinners. The blood that He shed there is sufficient to wash away the sins of every member of the human race, if only they will trust in Him. Very many, because of “an exaggerated sense of self-assurance,” will refuse to see their need of salvation. They, when they die, will make a “blind landing” into eternity and end up crashing into hell.
For real assurance, “blessed assurance,” you must come as a lost sinner to the Lord Jesus and have your sins covered by His precious blood. Only those who trust in Him are entitled to have that assurance of sins forgiven and a home in heaven.
Don’t try a “blind landing”!