Robert and his wife Jennifer are founders of "Great Commission Air" based in Mayalan, Ixcan in the Quiche region of Guatemala. Their missionary organization provides aviation services for medical clinics, missionaries and humanitarian relief in the under developed areas in Northern Guatemala.

Robert explained that they were approaching the landing strip in Coban and he  engaged the wing flaps that are designed to slow the aircraft for landing. When the flaps were almost at the point of being completely lowered, he heard a loud noise. The plane flipped over upside down in the air and both engines failed. They were now losing altitude quickly upside down and he tried everything he could do to get it to respond but was unsuccessful. Then, he retracted the flaps and all of a sudden the plane corrected and was in the upright position. Without engine power, he tried to guide it to a softer area for a crash landing. 

Sunday, August 3rd was the first time that Robert was allowed to return to the crash site because of the routine investigations. We helped him remove the wreckage and we will be storing the fuselage, at our place, until they are able to remove the salvageable parts.

That day, when I arrived at the site, Robert was wearing a shirt that had "Dios es mi piloto" or "God is My Pilot" embroidered on the right side. There is no doubt about that...because it was only by the "grace of God" that he and his passengers survived. "If we had fallen upside down, it wouldn't have been pretty" admitted Robert during the cleanup. I am sure that the Lord took control of that failing twin engine plane and allowed everyone inside to walk away basically unharmed. Praise God for His protection!

What Now?

Robert and Jennifer Rice and their two children have returned to the USA to reflect, regroup and start the process of getting another aircraft for their ministry. Please keep them in your prayers as they are hoping to get this accomplished quickly and get back to their ministry in Guatemala.