Survivor shares story of plane crash, spiritual takeoff

The crash-landing of United Airlines Flight 232 is widely regarded as one of the most amazing feats of aeronautical improvisation.

The Schaumburg business owner who walked away unscathed from the wreckage that claimed the lives of 113 other travelers 19 years ago in Sioux City, Iowa, calls it "a fresh dose of perspective."

Jeff Miller was seated in seat 16G on the flight from Denver to Chicago, en route to his grandfather's funeral. The tail engine exploded in mid-flight, sending shrapnel through the tail and shredding the hydraulic and back-up hydraulic lines that control the plane.

Pilots and a DC-10 flight trainer who happened to be on board used the remaining engines' thrust to weave the plane toward the Sioux City airport, in an attempt to land the plane using only engine power and gravity.

"I've always been a bit of an optimist," Miller said. "I didn't think there was anyway we were actually going to crash, even when I was bent over grabbing my ankles."

Miller shared his personal tale of survival and the impact it had on his spirituality during a National Day of Prayer breakfast Thursday in Glendale Heights. The event was sponsored by Adventist GlenOaks Hospital in Glendale Heights.

"Our mission is to extend the healing ministry of Christ, and this is a natural extension of that," said Adventist Midwest Health President and CEO David Crane. "As a good corporate citizen we want to lead with things that point to God."

Miller said he's spoken to nearly 300 groups since walking away from the crash along with 183 other survivors. He said his message is always about the spiritual perspective he has received since then.

"There were some people who weren't that into prayer that day," he said. "But when you lose an engine at 30,000 feet, it's amazing to see how many people become fans."

Shortly after the crash, Miller quit his job and opened his own business. But moreover, he said, he focused on making each day better than the one before for himself and his loved ones.

"You become acutely aware of what's important, and the fact is the things we live for, even the positive things, do us no good when you're about to die," he said. "The only thing that matters is your relationship with God."

A "rededication" to his faith a few years before the crash helped Miller deal with drama surrounding him that day. That and his admission that "I never, ever thought (the crash) was going to happen. I just went back to reading my book."

Several minutes later, though, he would find himself hanging upside-down in one of three sections of the crashed plane that skidded to a stop in a nearby cornfield.

"Then I walked through a hole and saw bright blue sky and bright green corn, and as I'm leaving I see my Bible and I know it's mine because I see the notes inside I've made for my grandfather's eulogy," he said. "I picked it up and people thought I was a minister because I didn't have a scratch on me, but I had to tell them I was a survivor, too."

Miller's central message is forgiveness.

"You got to let it go and move on," he said. "You think positive, and you will have a positive life."

Marshall Gray Jr. of Bloomingdale said he was moved by Miller's insight.

"I'm not sure I've ever heard someone make a presentation that has made me feel as emotional as I felt today," he said. "I could listen to that story all over again."