Man Tapes Farewell Video During Harrowing Flight

Sept. 23, 2005 — -- As JetBlue Flight 292 circled Los Angeles International Airport for hours, in preparation for an emergency landing, Isa Rahman videotaped a farewell message to his girlfriend and his family.

"Lizzie, I love you. Mom and Dad, I love you," Rahman said on the tape. "I love you, all you all. If I forgot anyone, I'm sorry. I guess it had to be me to go through this. Hopefully, I can live to tell you about what this was like."

After hours of nail-biting anxiety, the plane made a safe landing. Rahman later showed the tape to his girlfriend, Elizabeth Mathis, on "Good Morning America."

Nervous Flier

Rahman, a 25-year-old model from Brooklyn, said he is a nervous flier in the best of situations.

"Any turbulence and he just freaks out immediately," said Mathis, 24. She said she taught him to calm himself down by breathing deeply and saying a prayer.

"I breathed and said a prayer for three hours straight," Rahman said.

Like many of Flight 292's passengers, Rahman watched his distressed flight on the plane's televisions. "I'm the kind of person who wants to know what's going to happen," he said.

Mathis said she was at the grocery store when a friend called her and told her to turn on the TV.

When the plane finally landed, Rahman "smelled the smoke and rubber," he said.

Rahman, who described himself as an "emotional person," said he felt changed by this flying experience. "It changed my views on tragedy," he said.