Seventy-Seven Seconds to Impact
It was as he plummeted towards the ground that Matt Tanner knew only God could save him. Now, he lives his life to serve God only.
“There was no doubt in my mind. We were going to die that day,” Matt Tanner recalls.
It was April 29, 2015. Matt was piloting a two-seater, single-engine plane that was currently in a spin, plummeting from the sky toward the rugged Black Forest terrain 4,700 feet below.
Matt was an experienced professional pilot, having taught aerobatics, won numerous competitions and flown formation aerobatics in airshows. He knew the physics of the situation and in that moment his assessment was clear: “There was zero chance we would survive. We were about to see Jesus.”
The day started out with promise. As a longtime Woodmen Students’ Ministry Partner, Matt hoped to encourage and connect with a high school senior named Isaac. Matt had offered to take Isaac flying a couple months before and was glad when the 18-year-old reached out to make it happen.
They soared over Rampart Reservoir and the Springs under wide-open blue skies. Isaac’s mom came outside and waved as they flew over his house. Matt and Isaac were finishing up the flight with a few fun maneuvers - steep bank turns and stalls. For an expert pilot like Matt, all of this was routine. Until it wasn’t.
THE UPSIDE DOWN
As Matt executed a power-on stall, the plane began to spin. He quickly followed the procedure to recover from this type of spin. “Throttle to idle. Control stick to middle. Full opposite rudder,” Matt recites. “Typically, the plane would slow or stop within one rotation. Then the nose will drop. You add power back in and you’re good to go.”
But this time the plane did not respond. At all. Matt immediately realized they were in trouble. He repeated the recovery steps to no avail. The engine cut out and the out-of-control plane fell for one minute and 17 seconds, rotating a dizzying 59 times.
Isaac had brought a Go-Pro camera along and the video is riveting. There’s something raw about seeing through the eyes of two people who are certain their time on earth will cease in a matter of seconds.
Matt called out to Jesus for help. Isaac began to pray, too. Then, thinking the camera might survive the impact, he told his family that he loved them.
The plane smashed into the sandy wash of Kettle Creek and somersaulted backwards, coming to rest upside down.
When he realized that both he and Isaac were OK, Matt screamed, “ We lived!” Isaac responded, “Thank you, Jesus!” Miraculously, both men walked away from the incident through God’s grace.
SCARS AND STORIES
A seven-stitch scar on Matt’s shin is the only physical reminder of the crash. Isaac and Matt are marked by a more important memento, however: the deep understanding that God saved their lives.
Isaac couldn’t wait to go to school the next day. He told 100 people about Jesus.
Matt has received many invitations to share about the crash, from acquaintances to TV interviews to speaking in front of more than 1,000 students at the US Air Force Academy. His reason for living always comes up: “I can’t tell you why I’m here without telling you about Jesus.”
“It doesn’t matter what someone thinks of me when I share about Jesus. I don’t care if they think I’m a weirdo or they think I’m awesome,” he smiles. “I may have this big story, but we all should be happy to share about the Lord.”
When asked about other ways the crash changed his perspectives, Matt says thoughtfully, “It’s clear evidence that the Lord is the one who holds us. We’re not here on earth for one second more or one second less. So I live life free of fear. I can rest in the peace that the Lord gives.”
Matt’s family life has flourished as well. “During those seconds before we hit the ground, the worst thing was knowing that my kids were going to grow up without a dad. So now I cherish every moment with them. Spending time with them is precious.”
Six years after the crash Matt’s love of flight remains strong. Today he works at the Air Force Academy, flying tow-planes as part of the airmanship program for cadets.
ANGELS AND DUST
In addition to the time he spends flying and with family, Matt has one more big project on radar these days. He and his wife, Amber, along with Woodmen friends Patrick and Elisa Clark, own Forest Bend Farm. It’s a sprawling Black Forest venue that hosts Christmas fun for the whole family.
“Christmas can be over-commercialized, but we want to focus on Jesus. We don’t have Santa and elves. We do a nativity play with shepherds and angels and Mary and Joseph,” Matt shares. “Even though there’s fun and animals and hayrides, our goal is How can we present Jesus?”
The Clarks and Tanners have found unique ways to use the farm for Jesus. When the Woodmen creative team reached out to Matt about filming portions of the 2020 Christmas Eve service at Forest Bend, he was happy to accommodate the crew. An orchestra in a barn set the tone for a humble celebration of the glory of Christ’s birth. More than 14,000 people experienced the service online and on local television station KKTV11.
During the pandemic, when auditorium-sized groups were discouraged for health and safety reasons, the Tanners and Clarks hosted a group every week in Forest Bend’s barn to view the Woodmen online service together. A special bond of community deepened as moms and dads worshiped in the unusual setting. The kids gathered in the farmhouse to watch Woodmen’s Family Service.
“Glorifying the Lord through the property is our number one goal,” Matt says. “My message to everybody I meet is that the most important thing in your life is your relationship with Jesus. And there’s really not anything that’s a close second.”
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