DURANGO, Mexico — The Rev. Esequiel Sanchez felt apprehensive even before his flight took off from the city of Durango around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, en route to Mexico City. It began raining as the jetliner taxied down the runway. The downpour got stronger and stronger.

He was surprised that the plane took off. “I had a feeling it would be a bumpy ride,” he recalled.

As the plane began its ascent, Father Sanchez noticed from his window seat, 1D, that the visibility had gone to zero. Then the plane plunged. The passengers screamed.

He was not certain they were going to die, he recalled, but he was “getting ready for it.”

He silently prayed: “God, come to our aid. Secondly, forgive us, and everyone on the plane.”

Image The Rev. Esequiel Sanchez in 2008. He was among the 103 people who survived the crash in Durango. Credit... Karen Callaway/The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago

Moments later, the plane hit the ground, nose-first.

But all 103 people on board survived — four crew members and 99 passengers, including two infants.