MAF pilot Wal Job was flying from Wewak on the north coast of PNG, south towards the mission station at Tekin. This flight is an hour and 10 minutes in duration and the first 30 minutes the aircraft is on climb to 10,000 feet, to get over the Central Ranges before descending into Tekin. The Aircraft was a Cessna 185 fully loaded. At 8,000 feet and 25 minutes into the flight, Wal heard a “click” in the engine but everything continued to operate normally so he continued on, thinking it must be something minor. Forty five minutes into the flight levelling out into cruise there was a clunk and the whole of the engine stopped as if it was seized. The propeller actually came to a stand still. By this time Wal was over rugged mountainous foothills of the central ranges so he turned to the closest airstrip which was Ambunti 15 minutes away. He recognised he would not be able to glide that far but heading in that direction was getting close to a more populous area and getting away from the mountainous terrain onto flatter country near the Sepik river.
Naturally Wal prayed the Lord would undertake and give him the necessary skill and understanding to successfully make a landing in this desperate situation. Gliding put aerodynamic forces on the propeller, which caused it to jiggle and jiggle until the motor started to turn again. The engine windmilled and Wal was able to restart it.
He used the power available to extend his glide and therefore was able to land at Ambunti with the motor operating normally until he pulled up in the parking bay. When he stopped in the parking bay, once again the motor stopped and the propeller couldn’t turn. On stripping the engine it was found that a tooth in the gear train driving the camshaft had broken off and jammed in the gear train. Apparently with the jiggling, it had loosened and fallen out of the way and so allowed the gear train to work normally until it again got picked up and jammed the gear train in the parking bay.
This happened to allow the aircraft to operate normally for the vital 12 minutes to get back and make a safe landing. Those in MAF recognise it as God’s hand of protection.
Source: MAF
{Protection, Answered Prayer, God’s timing, PNG, Miracle]