Legendary Captain

Chapter 172 A Twist of Fate (Thanks to a Jin Dynasty player for the generous donation! Requesting monthly votes!)

"How difficult is it for an airplane to pass through the middle of the bridge piers?" Wen Jingshu finally understood what Xu Xian wanted to do, and also heard the data on the bridge pier span and the airplane's wingspan.

With a wingspan of 34.4 meters and a pier span of 35 meters, there is only a mere 60 centimeters of space, just over half a meter. Just thinking about it makes it seem very difficult to operate.

However, this is based solely on the feelings of an ordinary person, and she cannot be certain whether this judgment from an ordinary person's perspective is accurate.

The flight department leader, when asked the question, blushed and paled in turns; he truly didn't know how to answer. In his honest opinion, it was practically impossible.

Perhaps some people think that as long as the impact is not too great, it should only break off a small part of the wingtip, and not break the entire fuselage.

Not really!

If the first bridge is not cleared smoothly, even if it only breaks off a small part of the wingtip and does not damage the entire airframe structure, it will still affect the entire takeoff rhythm. Later, the rhythm will be disrupted, and the deviation will only increase until it cannot be corrected.

The first bridge might have only broken off a small wingtip, but by the time the second bridge was crossed, it would have broken off much more than just a large wing.

Therefore, generally speaking, if the first bridge or culvert does not pass perfectly, the deviation will only increase. However, even from a professional's perspective, judging Xu Xian's method is extremely difficult.

Even setting aside the fact that forced landings can only be made through visual judgment, even with the most precise instrument landing signal guidance, accuracy down to half a meter cannot be guaranteed. To navigate a bridge or culvert without the slightest error, one must rely on the pilot's eyesight and dexterity; at least current civilian navigation equipment cannot limit the error to within half a meter.

Of course, this is all based on the premise that there are navigation signals.

In fact, if a forced landing is to be made on the Kunyang River, it depends entirely on the pilot's own judgment, and the difficulty of that is self-evident.

If Chairwoman Wen Jingshu weren't standing there, this flight department leader might have told the truth. But the situation is different now! He was terrified that if he said something about how impossible it was, Wen Jingshu would fire him on the spot.

The previous quality center director serves as a cautionary tale, and it seems our group chairman is in a very, very bad mood right now.

After receiving no answer for a long time, Wen Jingshu's face showed displeasure: "You don't know?"

The flight department leader was shocked: "Chairman, we've encountered this situation before, both in training and actual operations, so it's really hard to say. It's likely to be very difficult."

Wen Jingshu gave the flight department leader a deep look at this pointless talk, then turned to Yang Ning and whispered, "Fire all the people from the flight department and safety supervision department who came today. Don't keep a single one of them."

Yang Ning gave a soft "hmm," without expressing any objection. Regarding the appointment and removal of personnel in a second-tier subsidiary, Wen Jingshu's word was law; there was no need for further consideration.

Wen Jingshu watched as the Xingyou 6233 aircraft, which had already begun to turn, appeared on the control screen. She gently tapped the worktable and finally said to Yang Ning, "Prepare the car, we're going to the site!"

"The scene?" Yang Ning quickly followed Wen Jingshu, who was walking out.

"Kunyang River!" Wen Jingshu's resounding voice echoed throughout the operations control center.

Meanwhile, Lian Shanxue, who originally planned to go to the new Kunyang Airport, discovered that her plane had been diverted twice en route.

"Where is this going?" At first, Lian Shanxue had no idea where the plane was headed. Because after the plane changed course, there was nowhere to make an emergency landing.

However, when Lian Shanxue looked at the car navigation screen, a look of shock gradually appeared on her face.

She zoomed out of the navigation map to see a wider area. When the Kunyang River, which was right next to the new airport, appeared on the map, Lian Shanxue gasped.

The plane changed course and headed in the direction of the Kunyang River.

The crew was attempting an emergency landing on the Kunyang River!

At this moment, even Shan Xue was so shocked by the crew's audacious decision that her breathing became rapid.

She didn't know why the flight crew had changed flights to the new airport and then changed flights a second time. But the mere thought of it was enough to make Lian Shanxue feel incredulous.

"Xu Xian, what exactly do you want to do?" Lian Shanxue gripped the steering wheel tightly, looking at the plane in the sky that was becoming clearer and clearer, and decisively changed direction again, heading towards the Kunyang River.

In the control room, the controllers were in an uproar upon learning that Star Travel 6233 had decided to make an emergency landing on the Kunyang River.

The tower controller, temporarily taking command, looked at the predicted landing point of Star Travel 6233 on the large screen and hurriedly gave the order: "Notify the Yulong District Fire Department to rush to Kunyang River to prepare for rescue. The specific location should be this predicted landing point, which should be easy to find."

It would be strange if such a large plane went undetected.

"Also, notify the Yulong District People's Hospital to prepare to receive the wounded, and nearby hospitals should also be ready to provide backup at any time." The controller's voice trembled as he spoke.

The direction of Star Travel 6233's emergency landing was far from the airport, and the airport's fire and medical rescue efforts were insufficient to address the immediate crisis. The only option was to contact the fire department and hospital in the nearby Yulong District.

Moreover, it is foreseeable that the number of wounded will be large. The authorities are very worried that the Yulong District Hospital, a Class II Grade A hospital, will be unable to handle such a large number of wounded at once. Therefore, they have made arrangements in advance with nearby large hospitals to reserve beds in case the Yulong District Hospital is unable to handle the large number of wounded.

Finally, there is one more crucial thing.

Just then, the control room door suddenly opened. The duty manager, looking anxious, rushed in. Looking at his subordinates, each with a different expression, he nervously asked, "What's going on?"

Everyone looked towards the control tower, which had been in command position. The tower operator swallowed hard, calming his racing heart, and then suddenly smiled broadly: "Director, we need to contact the Yunnan-Yunnan Municipal Government!"

The nature of the matter has changed!

Originally, whether it was an emergency landing at Yunnan Airport or Kunyang Airport, both locations were relatively remote, and the impact could be considered to be within a controllable range.

But the Kunyang River is different!

Except for the section near Kunyang Airport, which is relatively sparsely populated, the rest of the area along the Kunyang River, while not exactly a bustling downtown area, still has a significant number of residents. In fact, air traffic control is aware that even before the Kunyang River has begun receiving water, many people are already strolling along its banks.

He wasn't worried about harming innocent people. There weren't many settlements near the expected landing point of Star Travel 6233, and there was very little human activity. Besides, people have legs, so they wouldn't just stand there dumbfounded when they saw such a big plane rushing down.

The crux of the problem is that this incident could lead to a loss of control over public opinion!

If Xingyou's plane makes an emergency landing, the huge commotion will definitely attract a large crowd. If things go well and no catastrophic consequences occur, that's fine. But if the crew fails, the horrific scene will be on full display for the public, and just thinking about that makes the air traffic controllers afraid to continue.

At that time, this would be a devastating blow to the domestic civil aviation industry.

Therefore, at this point, it's no longer just a matter for civil aviation; the government needs to step in and control the situation.

The situation has escalated to a point where it's beyond the control of the civil aviation authorities. Ultimately, the outcome depends on the handling of the Xingyou 6233 incident.

If no one can die, then there's still hope for redemption. But if someone does...

At this moment, the duty officer had reached the center of the control room. Turning around and looking at the large screen displaying the predicted landing point of Star Trek 6233, he almost couldn't catch his breath.

"Wasn't it supposed to be an emergency landing at Kunyang Airport?" The duty officer's roar echoed throughout the control room. Everyone knew the duty officer wasn't angry, but afraid.

After the incident involving Star Cruises 6233, the duty supervisor was not on duty, so the control tower temporarily assumed command responsibilities. However, the duty supervisor was still notified.

When the duty manager heard about the dual-engine malfunction, he was terrified and rushed to the top of the control tower. Meanwhile, someone reported that the crew had decided to divert to Kunyang Airport. However, when he arrived at the control room at the top of the tower and heard the devastating news that the plane had been diverted a second time and decided to make an emergency landing in the Kunyang River, he was utterly devastated!

The duty officer seemed to have lost his mind: "Do you know that in our country's seventy-year history, there has never been a precedent for a civilian aircraft landing in a non-airport area of ​​the city! If there were serious casualties, even our air traffic control would be nailed to the pillar of shame, do you understand?"

Suddenly, the duty supervisor abruptly turned to the controller in the tower: "Did you authorize them to make an emergency landing in the Kunyang River?"

The air traffic controller paused for a moment, but then nodded. From the time the plane crashed until now, he had indeed been the central figure in the command and control.

"Fine! It was you who gave the permission, it has nothing to do with me! Even if it happens afterward, you'd better explain to me clearly that you authorized the crew to make an emergency landing in the Kunyang River." The duty manager, with red eyes, pointed at the air traffic controller in the tower and shouted loudly.

In an instant, the entire control room was filled with the voice of the duty officer, and everyone was shocked by his words.

So real, so incredibly real! The duty officer perfectly embodies the human instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm.

The duty officer can bear the punishment for dereliction of duty, but he lacks the courage and boldness to bear the infamy of allowing a plane to make an emergency landing in the city's river.

Even though he was the duty supervisor, he still had to fulfill his responsibilities even if he didn't give the order. Did he really think being a leader was so easy? The duty supervisor never thought he could shirk responsibility; he just wanted to make it clear that he wasn't the one who gave the permission.

If the emergency landing isn't handled perfectly, he'll face endless criticism from the public. He can accept the authorities' punishment, but he must avoid the pressure from public opinion.

The public won't delve into the fact that the duty supervisor should be responsible for all instructions given during their shift; instead, they will directly and bluntly hold the air traffic controller who issued the emergency landing clearance accountable. This decision, according to regulations, should fall within the duty supervisor's responsibility.

Since there is an air traffic controller who has shielded him from the front lines of the media storm, why shouldn't he make good use of it?

"Director, he was forced to take over command duties when you weren't on duty. How can you make him take the blame when something goes wrong?" Some veteran controllers, disapproving of the duty director's actions, spoke up in defense of the tower control.

"What do you mean, make him take the blame? When did I make him take the blame? If the authorities hold me accountable for my dereliction of duty, I won't deny it. I just want to confirm one thing: he gave the crew permission!" The duty manager sneered, "I'm just confirming the facts, is there a problem?"

"However, given the emergency, Kunyang Airport was not an option for landing. After weighing the options, the crew decided that an emergency landing in the Kunyang River was a matter of survival. We can't just insist that they go to Kunyang Airport to their deaths!" Some people were still questioning the duty manager's attempt to shift the blame.

"Why not?" The duty officer's voice suddenly rose, drowning out everyone else's: "Forced landing in the Kunyang River? Is this supposed to be survival? What's the difference between this and suicide? Since you're going to die anyway, why not die at Kunyang Airport?"

According to the duty officer, the forced landing in the Kunyang River was utterly ridiculous and tantamount to courting death.

If going to Kunyang Airport meant certain death, and making an emergency landing in the Kunyang River would also lead to the same outcome, then why not just quietly die at the remote Kunyang Airport? At least don't expose the scene of a civil aviation accident so starkly to the public!

"But since the crew insists on making an emergency landing on the Kunyang River, it means they have some room for maneuver. We can't just insist they go to Kunyang Airport, the crew won't listen!" At this moment, the control tower spoke up.

The duty officer sneered, "We told them, but they wouldn't listen and insisted on making an emergency landing on the Kunyang River. If anything goes wrong, that's the consequence of their stubbornness! Maneuvering space? Half a meter of maneuvering space? You're dreaming! Do you think the crew up there is the next Xu Qing or the next Han Qi? Even if Xu Qing and Han Qi were up there, I dare say they still wouldn't be able to get off!"

Someone had just given him a brief account of the forced landing on the Kunyang River. After hearing this brief report, the duty officer became even angrier.

"You've just given the crew permission to make an emergency landing! You represent the entire air traffic control team at Yunnan Airport! Do you dare say they can actually land? Use your brain and think about this! Don't think emotionally; a rational approach is the way to minimize the damage!" the duty officer reprimanded coldly.

Everyone present was shocked by the duty officer's rational, almost cold, words. In his mind, he had already sentenced Star Traveler 6233 to death. This was a judgment based on reason!

The other controllers, of course, knew that a forced landing on the Kunyang River was almost impossible, but they were not yet able to shed all human emotions and refuse the crew's request to make a forced landing on the Kunyang River.

Indeed, the social impact of exposing the scene of a civil aviation accident to the public is so great that it could shake the very foundation of the domestic civil aviation industry, and no one dares to take on this responsibility.

"It's not that I can't coldly refuse people's pursuit of survival! It's their right, and no one can take it away from them!" After much deliberation, the control tower still felt that if given the chance again, they would still do their best to cooperate with Xingyou's plane in making an emergency landing in the Kunyang River. He couldn't calculate the gains and losses without feeling: "Of course, I will also bear all the consequences of this incident, whether good or bad!"

"Fine! You want to be a hero, I don't care! But you better remember what you just said!" the duty officer snorted.

The control tower operator clenched his right hand so tightly that the base of his thumb turned white. He didn't know what awaited him if Star Travel 6233 suffered heavy casualties, but he had no regrets!

In mid-air, Xu Xian took several deep breaths in succession. Even with his excellent mental fortitude, Xu Xian's muscles were tense and his hands and feet were slightly stiff at this moment.

At this moment, the plane was roughly aligned with the Kunyang River channel. Facing the rising sun, a long, gray-white dragon appeared before Xu Xian!

Now that they were already over the Kunyang River, altitude was no longer an issue. Xu Xian contacted the passenger cabin: "This is the cockpit. The aircraft is about to land. Prepare for a collision. Once the aircraft has come to a stop, you do not need to wait for orders from the cockpit; you will determine the evacuation time yourselves!"

Generally, in most cases, the passenger cabin follows the cockpit's evacuation orders. However, this emergency landing was a matter of life and death. Xu Xian was worried that after touchdown, whether he and Li Zhiming survived or were unconscious, they wouldn't be able to issue evacuation orders in time, thus delaying the evacuation. Therefore, he communicated with the flight crew in advance, handing over complete autonomy to them for the evacuation decision. This way, even if there was a problem in the cockpit, it wouldn't affect the timely evacuation.

Finally, gazing at the increasingly clear ground, with life and death hanging by a thread, Xu Xian pursed his lips, a profound sorrow in his eyes, and said, "Wish us luck!"

After saying that, he hung up the internal call!

Xia Qing, who was in the rear cabin and had also received a phone call, burst into tears upon hearing Xu Xian's declaration, which sounded like he was going to his death!

"Xu Xian!" Li Zhiming on the left suddenly called out Xu Xian's name softly.

"Don't speak!" Xu Xian's eyes were red. He was terrified, but even with death so close, he refused to give up the chance to survive: "Wish us luck! If... if I die, these will be my last words!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Xian's eyes were devoid of any remaining emotion. He glanced at the Kunyang River that stretched downstream and said softly, "Flange One!"

The situation had become so critical that Xu Xian disregarded the speed restrictions imposed by the flaps; he needed to establish a landing configuration and touch down as quickly as possible. Because further ahead, the river would become a curve, no longer a straight channel.

Therefore, deploying the flaps to slow down and descend is the only option at this point!

Li Zhiming glanced at Xu Xian, whose face was resolute, and said nothing more. He then placed the flap handle in the first flap position. Xu Xian, in turn, slightly pulled the lever to begin decelerating.

The moment the flaps were in place and the green light appeared, Xu Xian gave the command for flap five.

"We should land at the beginning of the two bridges, so that we have time to decelerate and control the aircraft's direction. Also, at low speeds, even if the wingtips scrape the bridge piers, the impact will be much smaller," Li Zhiming suggested.

Li Zhiming's idea was that it would be best to touch down immediately after passing over a bridge, so that the river section between the two bridges could be used to slow them down. And the automatic brakes in MAX mode could reduce the aircraft to an acceptable low speed in the shortest possible time.

This way, even when crossing the next bridge or culvert, the impact of hitting the bridge pier at low speed can be minimized.

However, saying it is one thing, doing it is another!

"No! That's too difficult! I can't grasp it precisely! We can only leave it to fate!" Xu Xian immediately rejected the feasibility of Li Zhiming's suggestion.

Unfortunately, the bridges on the Kunyang River are not very close together, and even though the plane was close to landing and its speed had been reduced to a minimum, it was still very fast.

With such a short distance between the bridge beams, coupled with the high speed of the aircraft, even the slightest deviation could lead to disastrous consequences! No matter how arrogant Xu Xian was, he felt that he had no control over this.

Li Zhiming's idea was good, but unfortunately, he lacked the ability to control it!

"Leave it to fate?" Li Zhiming gave a bitter smile. Since the incident, all they could do was leave it to fate. There was very little room for human intervention; it truly was a tragedy that human power was as insignificant as an ant.

Just then, Xu Xian issued a series of orders: "Lower the wheels! Flanged wings fifteen!"

To Xu Xian's surprise, the tailwind over the Kunyang River was very strong. If the plane didn't land quickly, it would fly over this straight section of the river.

"Damn it, flaps 30!" Just as Li Zhiming lowered the landing gear and deployed flaps 15, Xu Xian gave the order to deploy flaps 30.

Actually, the plane's speed was slightly exceeding the flap speed limit of 30 degrees, but Xu Xian couldn't wait any longer. At this point, he didn't care about speeding.

The tailwind over the Kunyang River caught him somewhat off guard.

Li Zhiming knew, of course, that there was no need to worry about the flaps limiting speed at this juncture; slowing down was the most important thing.

Sure enough, after deploying flap 15, without any pause, it immediately moved the flap to position 30.

The moment the flaps were deployed to level thirty, Li Zhiming asked, "Flaps forty?"

Flaps 30 are actually sufficient for landing. However, to slow down the vehicle as much as possible, flaps 40 can be used. This is also used during water landings.

Xu Xian nodded: "Forty flaps!"

After obtaining Xu Xian's permission, Li Zhiming finally moved the flaps to position forty.

With flaps in position forty, the aircraft was now low enough to see the bridge surface clearly!

"Why is it still so fast!" Xu Xian cursed, still dissatisfied with the speed of the flaps at forty.

This was partly due to the constant passing of bridges as a reference point, which made the plane appear to be moving very fast, and partly due to Xu Xian's immense pressure, which inevitably made him appear somewhat impatient.

At this moment, Li Zhiming remained silent, also helping to verify the accuracy of the aircraft's direction.

At this time, on the banks of the Kunyang River, an elderly man with gray hair got up early and went out to buy groceries with his wife. As the old man stepped out of the house, a rumbling noise came towards him, followed by a huge black shadow whistling overhead.

The old man didn't react for a moment. When he turned his head and looked up at the sky, he could only see the tail of the Star Wanderer's plane.

"Hey honey, what's that thing? Is there a bird that big?" The old man squinted at the departing Star Travel plane.

His wife followed closely behind, glanced in the direction the old man was pointing, and waved her hand, saying, "It's not a bird, there's no way a bird that big could be found! Let's go!"

As he spoke, he urged the old man to catch up with him.

"That's true, there's no bird that big." The old man muttered, slowly following his wife's steps.

But after taking only a few steps, the old man and his wife stopped in their tracks. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock.

"Two hundred feet!" At this moment, Li Zhiming was already reporting the altitude to Xu Xian via radio.

Xu Xian was already soaked through.

"One hundred feet!"

"ninety!"

"eighty!"

After passing 100 feet, Li Zhiming began to report the altitude every 10 feet.

"Fifty!" At fifty feet, Li Zhiming immediately broadcast: "Collision preparedness!"

Immediately after hearing instructions from the cockpit, the crew began announcing the anti-collision posture.

"Thirty! The plane is still slightly veering to the left!" Li Zhiming said anxiously. He noticed that the plane was still veering to the left by a very small amount, but Xu Xian did not make any corrections.

Xu Xian immediately responded, "Let's wait for the wind to blow it away!"

Li Zhiming immediately glanced at the navigation screen; sure enough, there was a crosswind from the left. At this point, the aircraft's deviation was very small, and even a slight manual adjustment could easily lead to overcorrection. It was better to let the crosswind carry the aircraft back to the correct position.

"twenty!"

"ten!"

Li Zhiming's eyes lit up. Sure enough, even without Xu Xian's correction, the extremely slight deviation would be corrected by the crosswind. The wind's influence was already small, so using the small influence of the crosswind to correct the minor deviation was a stroke of genius.

"Good direction!" Li Zhiming was overjoyed. At least from his perspective, the plane's direction was perfect and it should be able to pass through the bridge and culvert just right. It has to be said that Xu Xian's skills were truly profound.

Just as Li Zhiming's exclamation of surprise faded, the plane's landing gear struck the concrete surface of the riverbed. Both men in the cockpit could feel it.

Li Zhiming slapped his thigh, the excitement of escaping death almost overwhelming him.

But at that moment, the concrete ground couldn't withstand the load of the aircraft as soon as the plane's wheels touched the river surface and cracked instantly.

The cracked ground caused the plane to lose its direction almost simultaneously, deviating from its correct trajectory. At that moment, the bridge was already very close!

(End of this chapter)