Legendary Captain

Chapter 173 Amnesia? (Seeking monthly votes!)

Although the riverbed was also hardened with concrete, it was still far inferior to a runway that had undergone rigorous standard testing. It might have been able to withstand normal loads, but when a behemoth weighing sixty or seventy tons suddenly pressed down on it, it finally gave way. Where the wheels rolled, the main wheel directly crushed the concrete layer at the bottom of the riverbed.

Crushing the hardened bottom layer of the riverbed wouldn't be a big deal, but the real problem is that once the concrete layer supporting the aircraft wheels cracks, it will cause the wheels to shift, which in turn will affect the aircraft's takeoff direction.

Xu Xian had already adjusted the aircraft's takeoff direction upon touchdown. However, this sudden change caused the aircraft's direction to shift slightly.

If the aircraft's touchdown point were still far enough from the next bridge or culvert, Xu Xian would have had a chance to correct the situation. However, unfortunately, the aircraft's touchdown point was very close to the bridge or culvert, leaving no room for correction.

Xu Xian only has one chance to correct his mistake!

The directional turbulence of the aircraft came so suddenly that neither Xu Xian nor Li Zhiming were aware of it. Indeed, just moments before the aircraft began to veer off course, neither Xu Xian nor Li Zhiming had any premonition whatsoever.

Perhaps Xu Xian and Li Zhiming never expected the aircraft's ground load to be so large, as the first impact shattered the concrete layer at the bottom of the riverbed.

By the time Xu Xian noticed the unexpected change in the plane's takeoff direction, he was already able to see the details on the surface of the bridge pier.

Almost instinctively, Xu Xian stepped on the left rudder, and the plane was instantly pulled back to the correct direction.

It can only be said that Xu Xian's talent is nothing short of miraculous. He only has one chance to correct himself. If he doesn't kick the plane back in the right direction, then death is the only thing waiting for him.

However, in his haste, Xu Xian applied the rudder correction based entirely on his own feeling without any thought or assessment.

This feeling can be cultivated through extensive training, though some people may be born with it. While it may sound disheartening, some people's starting point is someone else's finish line.

Talent is truly a terrifying thing!

This emergency correction, made without any reason or explanation, almost instantly smoothed out the sudden deviation. If Li Zhiming hadn't experienced it firsthand, he wouldn't have even noticed the difference in the direction of the aircraft's runway.

"Amazing! Terrifying!" Li Zhiming exclaimed in a daze. "Amazing" was not enough to describe Xu Xian's elite insight; only "terrifying" could demonstrate just how astonishing Xu Xian was.

Li Zhiming even felt that Xu Xian's reaction ability couldn't be acquired through years of training. Some things can be achieved through hard work, while others can only be obtained by chance.

At least Li Zhiming felt that if it were him, he would never have been able to handle the situation so perfectly.

What an enviable talent!

Just as Li Zhiming landed, the bridge culvert came crashing down like a tidal wave. Even with Xu Xian's extraordinary instincts, the urgency of the situation prevented him from making careful corrections. Although the direction seemed correct, there was still a slight deviation.

The right wingtip struck the bridge pier slightly, and the extremely strong and resilient wingtip snapped instantly. Debris flew backward like bullets, with a few pieces hitting the windows directly, and some windows shattering on the spot. The debris flew into the cabin, hitting several nearby passengers.

Fortunately, the shards only grazed the skin, posing no significant danger. However, several passengers were less fortunate; shards pierced their arms and sides, causing deep wounds and profuse bleeding.

The debris that rushed into the cabin caused widespread panic, especially in the areas affected by the debris. The scene was no longer just panic, but rather quite bloody. The splattered blood had stained a large number of people in the vicinity, and some even had bloodstains on their faces.

At this point, the passenger cabin was in complete chaos, and the situation in the cockpit was no better.

As the right wing struck the bridge pier, the entire aircraft was pulled to the right and drifted away. The drift was so large that even with the pilot wearing a five-point harness, Xu Xian's head could not be kept stable.

In the instant the plane was thrown out, Xu Xian's head was propelled by inertia. Although his body was well secured and his head did not swing much and did not hit the right side window, there was still a flat panel support and a flat panel fixed on it in front of the side window.

Since electronic charts are now widely used, almost every aircraft has a fixed tablet on both sides for the crew to consult electronic charts.

Originally intended to make things easier for the crew, this measure ended up harming Xu Xian.

Because the tablet was closer to Xu Xian's head, even a slight shake caused Xu Xian's head to hit the tablet directly, shattering the screen on the spot.

A trickle of blood slowly flowed down Xu Xian's temple! In an instant, Xu Xian felt dizzy and disoriented, and even his vision became blurry.

Li Zhiming on the left was much luckier. His right side was completely empty, so even with a slight, violent head shake, he only felt a little dizzy. This was due to a brief lack of oxygen to the brain caused by the short head shake, which was nothing serious and could be relieved after a short while.

Compared to the cockpit, the passengers in the cabin were not in such a good position. They did not have the same comprehensive seatbelt restraints as the crew, and most importantly, their upper body restraints were somewhat inadequate.

Actually, passengers also have a misconception. They tend to think that airplanes mostly only sway back and forth, so many people are prepared for swaying back and forth. Unexpectedly, they are first met with violent swaying from side to side.

Many passengers listened to and understood the flight crew's anti-collision posture and strictly followed it. Therefore, even though the passengers' seat belts were not as secure as the crew's, when the plane drifted violently to the right, their upper bodies only swayed slightly and they did not have an overly violent reaction.

However, some passengers, whether due to a lack of understanding of the anti-collision posture explained by the flight attendants or a failure to properly follow the flight attendants' requirements, at least did not perform the anti-collision posture correctly.

As a result, when the plane experienced a massive drift, the upper bodies of the passengers were suddenly thrown off.

If the passenger next to you is also not properly secured to their upper body, it's fine; at worst, both of you will be thrown out, so it won't have much of an impact.

However, if the passenger next to you is someone who executes an excellent anti-collision posture and is well-secured, then a big problem will arise.

The heads of passengers whose upper bodies were not properly secured were violently slammed to the right, while the heads of the passengers on the right did not shake much. As a result, the two heads collided violently, causing them to bleed profusely on the spot.

This situation is not uncommon, and it is far more significant than the earlier incident where the porthole was shattered and fragments flew everywhere.

In an instant, screams filled the entire cabin.

Inside the cockpit, the plane was clearly veering to the right, hurtling rapidly towards the right bank of the river. Due to its immense inertia, if it didn't change direction, it would directly leap over the slope of the riverbank and crash into the road adjacent to the river.

The Kunyang River may be empty, but that doesn't mean the highway is empty. While it's not yet rush hour, it's very close. If a plane were to overrun the river and crash onto the highway, injuring innocent people, that would be a grave offense.

Although Xu Xian was somewhat dazed from the impact, he still managed to maintain control of the aircraft.

Upon realizing the plane was at risk of overrunning the river, Xu Xian's body stiffened, and he shouted sharply, "Left rudder! We're going to overrun it!"

Li Zhiming was in slightly better condition than Xu Xian, and was more conscious. Although Xu Xian noticed the plane's deviation, he had suffered a severe blow to the head, making his reactions somewhat sluggish.

He kept shouting that he was going to use the left rudder to correct the plane's direction, but his body couldn't keep up.

Fortunately, after Xu Xian's reminder, Li Zhiming also noticed that the plane was about to run out of the river. He stepped on the left rudder and pushed the plane back to the middle of the river.

However, Li Zhiming's methods were not as precise as Xu Xian's, and although Li Zhiming did not hit his head, he did not seem to be very conscious. After he pushed the plane back into the riverbed, he was unable to correct the plane's course for a long time. At this rate, the plane would crash into the second bridge culvert.

There was another thing that was different from Xu Xian's expectations, and that was the braking effect.

Aircraft automatic brakes have four settings: 1, 2, 3, and MAX. Settings 2 and 3 are typically used. For normal landings on long runways like those at Yunnan Airport (4,000 meters), setting 2 is usually sufficient. However, in most cases, pilots prefer setting 3. Setting 3 is suitable for most airports, even some regional airports with short, narrow runways of just over 2,000 meters.

The MAX setting for automatic braking is not normally used because it is unnecessary; it is only selected in certain special circumstances.

For example, when landing on a short runway that happens to be wet and has insufficient braking effect, some crews will choose the MAX setting to slow down as quickly as possible and prevent overrunning the runway, just to be on the safe side.

There are also certain malfunctions. For example, landing with all flaps retracted will result in a very high approach speed, and the touchdown speed will naturally be much higher. Assuming good braking performance, this might be sufficient for long runways at hub airports, where setting 3 for automatic braking is likely enough. However, for short, narrow runways at smaller airports, many crews will still choose setting MAX.

The braking effect of the MAX setting on the automatic brake is amazing. As soon as the ground touches the ground, the braking effect will give you a very obvious tendency to lean forward.

Xu Xian had experienced the MAX setting of the automatic brakes in a real flight, so he estimated that the distance between the two bridges should be enough for the aircraft to slow down to a very low speed.

But when the plane actually landed on the concrete riverbed, everything was completely different from what Xu Xian had expected.

Because airport runways undergo rigorous braking effect testing, aircraft can decelerate rapidly after touchdown. However, the concrete layer of the Kunyang River channel does not have such braking effect requirements. Even though it wasn't raining and the bottom of the Kunyang River channel remained dry, its braking performance was truly appalling.

If the braking effect is poor and the aircraft's speed cannot be reduced, then caution is still needed when crossing the second bridge. If the deviation is too large, the aircraft will still suffer visible damage.

However, accurately correcting the aircraft's course was clearly not an easy task for Li Zhiming in his current state. Not only was he unsure even when he was lucid, but now, somewhat dazed and confused, he was even less capable. After kicking the aircraft back into the riverbed, he was at a loss, and they were about to cross the second culvert.

Xu Xian felt as if half of his head was about to split open, and his eyesight was also impaired, making everything appear blurry. However, he still realized that the plane was not on the correct taxiing trajectory.

"Fix it! Fix it back!" Xu Xian roared with difficulty. Although it was a roar, his voice was weak and he looked extremely frail.

Li Zhiming paced anxiously, shouting, "I'm fixing it!"

Xu Xian stared at the bridge and culvert getting closer and closer, and gritted his teeth: "What the hell are they going to do?!"

After uttering a curse, he mustered his last bit of strength and gave the rudder a sharp kick to the right.

This situation wasn't as urgent as when they first landed, but Xu Xian's condition was nowhere near what it was right after landing. Now, Xu Xian was simply putting on a brave face in order to survive.

Xu Xian's kick sent the plane back to the center line. However, Xu Xian's vision was not clear at the moment, and his precision was not perfect. The tip of the left wing was scraped off on the spot.

Fortunately, the deviation was very, very small. Although a small part of the left wingtip broke off, the fragments did not hit the fuselage, and the aircraft's taxiing direction did not change drastically.

After confirming that they had passed the second culvert, Xu Xian collapsed into his seat. Bright red blood covered half of his face, and the massive blood loss had caused him to begin to lose consciousness.

"Stabilize the direction!" With his last bit of strength, Xu Xian shouted these words, followed by a feeling of being in a trance that gradually crept over him, and Xu Xian was no longer fully conscious.

"Stay on course, stay on course," Li Zhiming kept repeating this phrase, but he found that under immense psychological pressure, he was unable to precisely control his corrections.

He felt that he was not worthy of being a captain at all; at least in front of Xu Xian, his performance was completely unfit for the role of a qualified captain.

While passing under the second bridge, although the plane didn't deviate much, it still veered slightly off course. However, Li Zhiming was on the verge of collapse under the pressure and couldn't see where the plane was veering off course. At the same time, Xu Xian's vision was completely blurred, and he was almost incapacitated.

Twenty meters!

Ten meters!

Five meters!

Li Zhiming kept correcting the plane's direction, but he always felt that he was making the wrong corrections because he had lost the ability to judge deviations.

Li Zhiming was certainly not a slacker; at least in all the captains' competence checks, he passed without any problems. However, how much of his ability he could demonstrate under immense pressure remained to be seen.

Judging from the current situation, it's estimated that Li Zhiming hasn't even used 30% of his full strength. That's the difference in mental fortitude!

Three meters!

Two meters!

Even at the very last moment, Li Zhiming was still making meaningless corrections, so much so that when the plane barely came to a stop before the bridge, his control was still inputting, like a machine without any reason. He didn't know what he was fixing; he just felt he should do it this way.

The moment the plane came to a stop, Li Zhiming was suddenly jolted awake. After confirming that the thrust handle, start handle, and fire extinguishing handle were all pulled out and the flaps were in position, he switched the pressurization mode selector to the manual position and fully opened the outflow valve. This would help balance the ballast inside and outside the cabin and prevent the cabin doors from being unable to open due to pressure differences.

As the announcement "This is the captain, evacuate, evacuate, evacuate!" echoed throughout the cabin, the cabin crew, having received the evacuation order, quickly sprang into action.

Originally, as a precaution to prevent the captain and first officer from losing consciousness, Xu Xian specifically instructed the chief flight attendant to decide the evacuation time independently. However, since Captain Li Zhiming was fine and had issued the evacuation order, the crew felt reassured with the captain in charge.

Before Xu Xian informed the cabin crew of the impending emergency landing, all crew members had already mentally rehearsed the evacuation procedures countless times. At the captain's command, they acted swiftly and without hesitation.

Hearing the rumbling sounds of evacuation behind him, Li Zhiming breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the bridge so close at hand, and then glancing out the side window, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. Even at the very end, he still hadn't corrected the plane's course. If the plane hadn't stopped in time, the wing would have hit the bridge pier again.

"Xu Xian, Xu Xian?" Li Zhiming called out to Xu Xian. But there was no response.

Li Zhiming immediately turned to look at Xu Xian on his right, and what he saw gave him goosebumps. Most of Xu Xian's face was covered in blood, and his complexion and lips were unusually pale. Looking at the shattered tablet screen, Li Zhiming immediately realized that Xu Xian had hit his head.

At this moment, you must cover Xu Xian's wound; if he bleeds any longer, he will surely die.

He frantically searched for something like a towel, and when he found a small towel, he cursed, "Why is it wet?"

There's no other way; the flight attendants mostly give the flight crew wet towels, and rarely dry towels.

Just as Li Zhiming was pacing anxiously, he looked down at his shirt, and without saying a word, he took off his shirt, leaving only a vest, and then pressed one end of the shirt down on Xu Xian's head.

In a short time, there was a rapid knocking on the cockpit door. Li Zhiming reached out and opened the door, where the chief flight attendant was standing.

"Is the evacuation complete?" Li Zhiming asked anxiously.

The flight attendant quickly replied, "We're all done, everything's been checked. Captain, let's get off here!"

Li Zhiming craned his neck to look down the cabin corridor, and sure enough, it was empty.

"Where's the safety officer? He didn't go down, did he?"

"No!" The flight attendant immediately turned around and shouted towards the cabin, "Security officer! Come here!"

"The passenger in the front seat hit his head! Cover his head and have the safety officer help him get him out of the car. I'll check again!" Li Zhiming shouted.

After the safety officer came in, he and Li Zhiming hurriedly carried Xu Xian out. Once outside, Li Zhiming handed Xu Xian over to the safety officer and told Xu Xian to go downstairs first.

"All flight attendants, get off here. You, the chief flight attendant, get off too. I'll double-check. You're the last one to get off!" Li Zhiming said.

As the captain, he needed to personally confirm it to feel at ease. Moreover, as the captain, he should also be the last person to evacuate.

The emergency landing of Star Travel 6233 was very loud, and even though the surrounding area was not densely populated, it still attracted some onlookers.

Not long after, a car pulled up, and a woman hurriedly stepped out. It was Lian Shanxue.

As soon as Lian Shanxue got out of the car, she walked through the crowd and saw the plane with its fuselage severely damaged. Her heart jumped into her throat.

"Xu Xian, Xu Xian!" Lian Shanxue cried out as she rushed into the river.

During this time, she saw a person wearing a pilot's uniform with a face covered in blood being brought down. Her mind went blank, and she rushed towards the slide.

Upon closer inspection, tears welled up in Lian Shanxue's eyes!

It's Xu Xian!

Seeing Xu Xian covered in blood, with half of his shirt stained with blood, Lian Shanxue almost fainted on the spot. She hugged Xu Xian tightly.

"Xu Xian, Xu Xian!"

Xu Xian felt some warm liquid dripping onto his face. As he slowly regained consciousness, he gradually opened his eyes and saw a face covered in tears.

Seeing Xu Xian open his eyes, Lian Shanxue was overjoyed, but the next moment, her smile froze.

A look of confusion crossed Xu Xian's weak face: "Who are you?"

When I checked the comments, wow, I'm being scorned by everyone! Guys, I have a proper job, and I can't let my hobbies interfere with my work, right? Honestly, I haven't taken much time off! This criticism is just too much!

If I ever get the chance to work full-time in the future, then you can criticize me!

Brothers, calm down!

As usual, I'm asking for your monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)