On March 22, 1994, Aeroflot flight SU593 on a schedule from Moscow to Hong Kong crashed about 4 hours into the journey. The entire 75 passengers and crew died in that accident. The ill-fated plane was a brand new Airbus A310 with no technical problems. Investigation revealed that the captain had on board his two children who were going abroad for holidays for the first time. In the course of the flight, the captain welcomed his children into the cockpit; and having put the plane on autopilot, gave up his seat for them to have a feel of flying. It was when his 15-year old son took over that the autopilot partially disengaged and plunged the plane into crisis. The captain never regained control of the plane until it crashed.

One lapse in judgment brought so much ruin. His sense of judgment was beclouded by family ties. His desire to create a thrill for his children went wrong.

One of the prayers that I pray often is not to be a victim of someone else’s error. The Russian captain was definitely in error, one that proved fatal to the lives of many innocent souls. He had no business allowing his teenagers into the cockpit, much less asking them to take turns on the captain’s seat. One lapse in judgment brought so much ruin. His sense of judgment was beclouded by family ties. His desire to create a thrill for his children went wrong. When it comes to family members or other loved ones, we develop blind spots that could prove injurious. The way to avoid such lapse in judgement is to respect laid down rules and procedures.