Legendary Captain

Chapter 113 Exploring a Path

The area around Shangdu Airport is indeed not as mountainous as the southwest region; it's mostly plains, but that requires crossing the Qinling Mountains. Chen Qi only remembered the vastness of the Central Plains, forgetting the Qinling Mountains blocking his way.

Given the condition of the Chimelong 5677 aircraft, the maximum thrust of 56 liters that a single engine could maintain was insufficient to sustain cruise. Even after Xu Xian restarted the number one engine, the aircraft continued to lose altitude.

Looking at the oppressive, suffocating black shadow ahead, Xu Xian's heart sank. With the plane continuing to lose altitude, whether they could cross the Qinling Mountains was truly an unknown!

"Do we still have to go to Shangdu Airport?" Chen Qi swallowed hard, looking left and right. The Qinling Mountains stretched as far as the eye could see. It was simply impossible to bypass the Qinling Mountains.

The Qinling Mountains stretch for a full 1,600 kilometers. Even with both engines running normally, it would take a lot of effort to get around them.

Most of the Qinling Mountains reach altitudes of nearly 3,000 meters, and no one dares to guarantee whether they can make it to cross the Qinling Mountains.

Moreover, even now, away from the main body of volcanic ash, visibility remains poor. How can one visually avoid all the isolated, towering structures while crossing the mountains?

All of these things could lead to death!

Xu Xian's expression was conflicted; if possible, he would never want to go back to Anning Airport.

The airspace around Anning Airport was extremely poor, and the glide angle in the final stage was not the usual relatively smooth three degrees, but a steep three and a half degrees. If it were just a matter of the glide gradient, it wouldn't be so bad. The critical issue was that Anning Airport's five-pointed approach runway wasn't even aligned with the runway direction. It had a full three-degree angle with the runway, requiring pilots to make corrections at low altitude. However, in single-engine operation, the aircraft's maneuverability is already limited; moreover, the only working engine could only operate with reduced thrust, further weakening the aircraft's maneuverability.

The reason for this awkward design is entirely due to a protruding hill three nautical miles from the runway. If the course were designed normally, aligned with the runway direction, it would inevitably trigger a terrain warning at the three nautical mile mark. Therefore, a slightly angled course had to be created.

In truth, Xu Xian never understood. It was just a mountain peak; with a little "divine intervention," wouldn't everything be fine?

This has resulted in a three-degree deflection angle!

Moreover, the five-sided flight path of Anning Airport is basically through mountain valleys, and a slight mistake could lead to a collision with a mountain.

Xu Xian would be extremely unwilling to take this "half-dead" plane to drill through the mountain ravine unless absolutely necessary.

"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer!" After taking over the controls, Xu Xian showed an anxious expression for the first time. He hadn't looked like this even when both engines stalled earlier.

Chen Qi: "What are you waiting for? You can't even calculate our altitude at the Qinling Mountains, so we're just skirting the edge. If it were daytime, we might risk going, but what are the visibility conditions like outside now? Do you dare go?"

The terrain display shows the approximate location of the Qinling Mountains, and by using speed and descent rate, they can calculate the aircraft's altitude when it reaches the Qinling Mountains.

Chen Qi did a quick calculation and found that when they reached the Qinling Mountains, they would be at an altitude of just over 10,000 feet. Most of the peaks in the Qinling Mountains are around 3,000 meters, which is extremely close to 10,000 feet.

During the day, with ample visibility, visual fly-around might be possible. But now, it's nighttime, and the air is thick with volcanic ash, further limiting visibility. Chen Qi would never agree to risk his life to cross the Qinling Mountains under such conditions.

"Then you take charge, you go land at Anning!" Xu Xian was thoroughly annoyed by Chen Qi's seemingly rational and objective attitude. Anyone can lip-sync a few times, right? Given the current situation, is crossing the Qinling Mountains dangerous, only Chen Qi knows that? But compared to gambling by crossing the Qinling Mountains and landing at Anning Airport, Xu Xian felt the risk factor was much greater.

It's important to know that Anning Airport was built by leveling a mountain. Apart from the road leading down the mountain, it's surrounded by deep valleys.

Even if the plane doesn't land on the runway at Shangdu Airport for some reason, there are still large plains nearby for an emergency landing. At least there's still a glimmer of hope.

If the aircraft fails to land on the runway at Anning Airport, the surrounding mountains and ravines will be doomed.

Fortunately, Anning Airport is relatively close; if it were farther away, Xu Xian and his group wouldn't even have time to consider it.

Chen Qi immediately understood the meaning behind Xu Xian's words: "You're not confident you'll land in Anning?"

Xu Xian pursed his lips and remained silent.

"Damn it!" Chen Qi instantly became agitated again. Xu Xian hadn't shown this much frustration even when both engines stalled. It was clear that landing at Anning Airport was putting a lot of pressure on Xu Xian.

"Wait a little longer!" Xu Xian's eyes were incredibly sharp. "Now that we're separated from the main body of volcanic ash, the ionization reaction has weakened, and we might be able to contact regulatory authorities soon. I need their opinion!"

"Ionization? What ionization?" Chen Qi seemed a little confused by Xu Xian's words.

"Saint... never mind! Try calling control right away."

Chen Qi's "amazing" theoretical knowledge opened Xu Xian's eyes.

Instead of wasting time giving Chen Qi a lecture on the spot, it would be better to spend some time considering whether to cross the Qinling Mountains or land in Anning!

……

Shangdu Area Control Room.

The control room director stared at the red diamond-shaped indicator on the radar screen, his face grim and menacing. He asked, "When was the emergency code activated?"

"Just now!" the controller exclaimed.

"Were there any prior signs? Or did the crew request assistance or explain what the problem was?"

The air traffic controller quickly shook his head: "The plane from Chimelong had contacted me earlier, but the signal was extremely poor. When I tried to contact the Chimelong crew later, they didn't respond. I even had a nearby plane relay the message, but there was still no response."

"Did you call on the emergency frequency?" the director asked.

"After Chimelong Airlines put up an emergency code, I called them on the emergency frequency, but there was still no response."

If the aircraft cannot be contacted for an extended period, air traffic controllers will try other methods instead of stubbornly sticking to the same approach. However, despite trying all available methods, the Chimelong aircraft remained unreachable.

"Isn't that a radio failure? Then why is there an emergency code?" The director couldn't understand.

The codes for radio failures and emergencies are different. According to the controller, isn't this a problem with the communication system?

"Flight information!" the director asked.

The air traffic controller immediately retrieved the flight information: "Chimelong flight 5677, destination Qinghu."

"What about the flight path? What about the altitude?"

"Director, I'm projecting the information onto the main screen." After saying this, the controller projected the flight data of the Chimelong aircraft onto the main screen.

In an instant, the trajectory, altitude, and speed changes of Chimelong 5677 were all displayed on the main screen.

The director noticed the anomaly at Chimelong 5677 after only a few quick glances.

"They deliberately veered six nautical miles to the right?" the director muttered to himself.

"Yes, right after the emergency code was posted!"

The director immediately grasped this information: "Then it's not a problem with the communication system; there must be something else going on."

The communication system does not need to be located off the flight path.

"You said you haven't been able to contact the plane at Chimelong, so the descent was their own operation." The director's mind raced: "The most likely problems with the descent are a pressurization issue, or... a power issue."

The pressure reduction is to keep the cabin altitude below 10,000 feet. The power issue is even more obvious; without power or with a damaged engine, normal cruising at high altitudes is impossible.

"Their rate of decline was rapid at first, but then it began to decrease steadily, which doesn't seem like an emergency decline," the director analyzed.

When there is a sudden release of pressure and an emergency descent, the descent must be rapid in the shortest possible time. There is no question of descent being fast at times and slow at others.

Having ruled out the possibility of a rapid decompression and emergency descent, the director became puzzled again: "Doesn't this look like a single-shot descent? The initial descent rate is too high! And shouldn't a single-shot descent maintain an altitude of 7,500 to 7,800 meters? How come we're only at 6,000 meters now? And it's still descending? This doesn't make sense!"

The chief controller was different from other air traffic controllers; he possessed some professional flight knowledge and knew the maximum altitude limit for a single engine. That's why he was puzzled as to why the planes at Chimelong were now far below the normal single-engine cruising altitude and continuing to descend—it simply didn't make sense!

"Could it be that both engines have malfunctioned?" This was the only possibility the director could think of. However, the current low rate of decline shouldn't be achievable by both engines shutting down.

Even if the director's skill level is far superior to that of an ordinary controller, he probably never imagined that there would be a situation where one engine is shut down and the thrust of another engine is limited!

"What exactly happened?" Even with the most extensive experience and qualifications, the director couldn't understand what had happened at Chimelong 5677.

What they fear most is not understanding what has happened.

Just as the director was in a state of great distress, several silly laughs came from not far away. The director turned his head with a black line on his forehead and said impatiently to a figure in the corner, "How many times have I told you! Don't eat or watch videos in the workplace. Can't you be a little more serious?"

The veteran air traffic controller, who had been called out by the director, wiped his mouth somewhat embarrassedly and pointed to the tablet that was still playing a video: "The internet says it's raining black rain over Shou'an. I was just curious."

The director was taken aback: "Shou'an?"

He suddenly looked back at the main screen. Wasn't Shou'an near the Chimelong 5677 flight?

"Black rain?" The director's heart skipped a beat. He quickly walked over to the old controller and glanced at the news content.

It's not exactly news; it's just that some online influencers reposted a video. In the video, someone reaches out to catch rainwater, and when the camera zooms in, you can see that the rainwater contains a lot of black impurities.

"Could it be volcanic ash?!" A very bad thought instantly popped into the director's mind.

The controller who followed interjected, "That can't be! There were warnings about a large-scale volcanic ash event long ago, how come there's still no news?"

"What else could it be?" The director thought about it more and more and felt that his guess was more plausible: "When the plane passes through volcanic ash, it will cause a strong ionization reaction on the surface of the aircraft, cutting off radio communications. That's why we haven't been able to contact Chimelong 5677. Moreover, volcanic ash will cause huge damage to the aircraft's engines, and engine shutdown is foreseeable. That's why Chimelong 5677 is showing an emergency code even though it has a communication failure! There must be a problem with the engine!"

Small fragments in volcanic ash pose a significant threat to engines. If an aircraft were to enter volcanic ash, its engine could be severely damaged.

Moreover, judging from the descent pattern of Chimelong 5677, it's likely that more than one engine has malfunctioned.

"Go contact the meteorological department and confirm..." Although the director didn't quite believe the meteorological department would make such a basic mistake, he still had to confirm, just in case...

Just as the director had a thought of "what if," he noticed a staff member walking towards them.

A staff member handed the director a paper document: "Director, we have received news from the meteorological department. The Qinghu Control Area, Shangdu Control Area, and part of the Changfeng Control Area are affected by volcanic ash, mainly at altitudes between 7,000 and 10,000 meters. Please instruct the aircraft to conduct detours."

The director glanced at the map showing the affected area, his face immediately darkening: "The entire Qinghu control zone is closed. Flights are prohibited at altitudes between 7,500 and 9,800 meters in the Shangdu control zone. One-third of the Changfeng control zone is affected. If the situation hadn't escalated to this level, would the meteorological department have been unaware? Had they all gone home early?"

Because the Qinghu Control Zone is closest to the source of volcanic ash, it was the most severely affected, and the entire control zone was temporarily closed, which is quite rare.

The director originally thought that the meteorological department would not make such a basic mistake, but the ridiculous reality slapped him in the face mercilessly.

"If anything happens to Chimelong 5677, none of you will escape!" the director roared fiercely at the staff member.

This staff member was the meteorological department's liaison to the control department, so the director naturally took his anger out on him.

"Chief, we've made contact with Chimelong 5677!" Just then, the controller, who had returned to his seat, received a call from Chimelong 5677. The radio signal was still very poor, but it was barely audible.

The air traffic controller immediately took the microphone and called out, "Chimelong 5677, what's your situation now?"

"Our No. 2 engine has failed, and our attempts to start it have been unsuccessful. The No. 1 engine is operating under limited conditions, and its maximum thrust is currently 65," Chen Qi replied quickly.

The director's heart tightened: "And what are your intentions?"

"We are preparing to surrender in Shangdu, but we are not confident that our current strength will be enough to cross the Qinling Mountains. I wonder if you can offer some suggestions!" This time it was Xu Xian who spoke: "If we are not confident that we can cross the Qinling Mountains, we will have no choice but to turn back and surrender in Anning."

"Anning?" The director looked up abruptly, turning to the main screen, which also displayed the locations of various airports. He quickly found where Anning Airport was! Comparing it to the areas affected by volcanic ash, Anning Airport was clearly listed.

The flight path from Yunnan to Qinghu in the Shangdu area is very strange, making a sharp turn of over 90 degrees. In other words, although the overall route from Yunnan to Qinghu is from west to east, if you were to turn back towards Anning now, you would actually be flying eastward, towards the area with the most severe volcanic ash.

Thinking of this, the air traffic controller immediately turned around and called out, "Chimelong 5677, you can't go to Anning. The volcanic ash is coming from the east. If you go to Anning, the volcanic ash situation will be even more serious. At that time, we won't even be able to save the last engine."

Xu Xian and Chen Qi were ashen-faced. They had temporarily escaped the main part of the volcanic ash cloud. But if they followed the regulations and flew eastward towards Anning, the volcanic ash situation would worsen. At their current altitude, the ash was still relatively thin, so wouldn't they have to run into volcanic ash again if they went to Anning?

Although the number one engine isn't very useful right now, at least it's still running. If both engines were to fail again, judging from the current altitude and distance, whether we could even glide to Anning would be a big question.

But if we can't go to Anning, how can we cross the Qinling Mountains?

With the Qinling Mountains in front and volcanic ash behind, isn't this a situation of being caught between a rock and a hard place?

Chen Qi was now truly panicked, muttering to himself, "What should I do! What should I do!"

Xu Xian, already burdened with worries, was further enraged by Chen Qi's incessant nagging. He grabbed Chen Qi by the collar and his voice was as cold as ice: "Shut up!"

Chen Qi was initially intimidated by Xu Xian's fierce aura, and was clearly stunned for a moment. Then, when he came to his senses, his face immediately turned red.

From childhood to adulthood, no one dared to grab his collar!

But considering that he would still need this guy later, Chen Qi shook off Xu Xian's hand and stopped talking.

Xu Xian didn't argue with Chen Qi any further; saving his own life was the most important thing right now.

"Could you point me to a lower obstacle crossing location?" Although the aircraft had a terrain display, it wasn't very accurate, so he had to ask air traffic control for help.

The traffic control director immediately ordered someone to retrieve the terrain data of a section of the Qinling Mountains in front of Chimelong.

They quickly determined the location of the lowest point in the Qinling Mountains. However, the controller's expression was not good.

"Sir, this location is in a restricted area," the controller said.

The lowest point of the nearby Qinling Mountains is about 9,000 feet, but it happens to be near an artillery emplacement. That area has been designated a restricted zone, and aircraft are not allowed to enter.

"I know!" The director was well aware that it was a restricted area. He didn't deny the passage at the lowest point, but instead contacted Xu Xian: "There's a 9,000-foot lowest point 20 nautical miles to your 10 o'clock position. Can you maintain the 2,000-foot obstacle crossing requirement?"

For obstacle courses in mountainous terrain, aircraft must maintain an obstacle clearance altitude of 600 meters, or 2,000 feet.

Xu Xian did a quick calculation: "I can't guarantee it, but it's highly likely it won't work."

Because of the angled flight, the distance increases, and the descent altitude also increases. The additional obstacle clearance of two thousand feet may not be achievable, but it still provides more leeway than flying directly over the Qinling Mountains.

"I think it's necessary to take the risk now!" Xu Xian bluntly stated his position to the authorities.

Going back would basically mean certain death. Although crossing the Qinling Mountains violated the regulations on obstacle crossing height, there was still some hope. Xu Xian was not one to wait to die.

At this point, even Chen Qi fell silent, because he had no solution either.

However, Xu Xian's audacious remarks still alarmed the air traffic controller. This was a blatant violation of civil aviation regulations!

However, times have changed, and special cases can be handled in a special way; there's nothing that can't be said.

"How is your visibility now?" the director asked. If the visibility is good, then the risk is worth taking.

Xu Xian didn't hide anything: "There's still a thin layer of volcanic ash affecting visibility; visual conditions are... poor!"

The air traffic controller pondered for a moment, his eyes gleaming. Suddenly, he said to Xu Xian, "Wait a moment, I'll scout out a way for you!"

After saying that, he told his assistant, "Contact the military base and request a temporary lifting of the restriction zone, and... borrow a few... flares!"

My baby is due a few days early, which caught me a bit off guard. I typed this all night, and I might have to take the day off tomorrow if I'm too busy.

The plane is about to land; this part of the story is coming to an end, and it won't be hovering in the air for much longer.

(End of this chapter)