Legendary Captain

Chapter 191 Murder! Destroying the spirit!

"Mr. Chen, this is what happened." Qin Zongyang told Chen Fei everything he had seen and heard in the air, but he omitted the important part about Xu Xian and also did not mention that one of the crew members involved was his apprentice.

Safety Director Chen Fei is the company's duty supervisor today, and any issues during production operations can be reported to him. Of course, that's the official statement; in reality, during operations, the duty supervisor is only notified when major decisions are involved. If the duty supervisor has to handle all the trivial matters, it only demonstrates the incompetence of those below.

For airlines, flight safety is of paramount importance, so it's considered high-level to notify the duty manager about an overheated communication panel causing a flight to make an emergency landing.

After listening to Qin Zongyang's report, Chen Fei remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone before finally saying, "When you contacted them, the plane was still under control, right?"

"That's right!" Qin Zongyang said, "In my estimation, simple panel overheating will not cause major safety problems. Mr. Chen, you can rest assured about that."

While it's alarming to see communication panels overheating and even emitting smoke, there's no precedent in the history of civil aviation for a panel overheating causing an open flame.

Therefore, the panel overheating and smoking is already the limit of the situation, and it's highly unlikely to worsen. If it's just simple smoke, it certainly won't cause any major safety hazards. That's why Qin Zongyang reassured Chen Fei first.

Having flown for so many years, Qin Zongyang's judgment on matters still holds considerable value. Only after hearing Qin Zongyang's assurance that there wouldn't be any major problems did Chen Fei finally breathe a sigh of relief. The company had just experienced an emergency landing at the Kunyang River; it simply couldn't afford another setback.

Honestly, if it weren't for Star Travel's backing by the Wens Group, that previous emergency landing on the Kunyang River would have been enough to wipe them out.

"As long as there are no major problems, everything will be fine. Wang Lingkun doesn't need to fly anymore; arrange for them to come back!" Chen Fei said.

After this incident, Wang Lingkun and the others will definitely have to return for investigation. Of course, they won't be able to fly anymore. The communication panel is burned; the maintenance crew will probably be working on it for quite some time.

In this situation, the usual solution is to buy a plane ticket for the three flight crew members to Yunnan.

"President Chen, please take care of this for me," Qin Zongyang suddenly said.

Now it was Chen Fei's turn to be surprised. In his memory, Qin Zongyang disliked doing this kind of thing.

If an investigation requires a leader of Qin Zongyang's caliber to lead it, the matter is bound to be serious. It's obvious at a glance that the flight crew is in deep trouble.

Since you already know the outcome, why get involved? Even if it's the crew's fault, you've already labeled them and punished them. If you encounter some petty people, won't they hold a grudge?

Qin Zongyang rarely did things that would offend people. After all, he needed his subordinates to help him get promoted. Managing interpersonal relationships, or more precisely, his relationships with his teachers, was one of Qin Zongyang's most important tasks.

However, Qin Zongyang was unusually proactive today, which Chen Fei found very strange.

"You...you are Qin Zongyang, right?" Chen Fei suddenly blurted out.

Qin Zongyang was utterly astonished: "President Chen, can't you recognize my voice? I feel guilty that, as the deputy general manager of the flight department, I haven't led an investigation into a single safety incident. I've been dumping all this potentially offensive work on others!"

"The truth?" Chen Fei's doubts were largely dispelled by Qin Zongyang's "sincere" words: "Since you're so enlightened now, I'll leave this matter to you."

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen! This matter will be thoroughly investigated," Qin Zongyang immediately assured him.

"By the way! After contacting the crew involved and getting a preliminary understanding of the situation, prepare a written report for the Yunnan Provincial Transportation Bureau's Transportation Division and Aviation Safety Office within 48 hours!" Chen Fei instructed.

If an airline experiences a safety incident, it must report it in writing to the local regulatory authority within the appropriate timeframe, depending on the severity of the incident.

Of course, if the safety incident is extremely serious, such as the emergency landing at the Kunyang River a few months ago, the airline will generally not be able to investigate it itself; the regulatory authorities will dispatch an investigation team.

Qin Zongyang, a seasoned veteran, was naturally familiar with the mandatory reporting process for insecure information and immediately assured him, "I know that! Mr. Chen, I'll communicate with the operations control team, and the relevant information will be transmitted directly to me."

Actually, even if Qin Zongyang hadn't told Chen Fei about it, the operations control team would have found out soon enough. Fearing the operations control team would blab, Qin Zongyang decided to take full responsibility, diverting all relevant information to his side and making Chen Fei completely uninvolved. This gave Qin Zongyang room to maneuver.

"Okay! You just need to coordinate with the operations control department. Also, during the investigation, the safety supervision department will accompany and supervise. You don't mind, do you?" Chen Fei said.

Nowadays, everything needs checks and balances and oversight. What if investigators have no oversight and harbor personal biases during the investigation? Like Qin Zongyang. Therefore, the safety supervision department usually gets involved during the investigation to play a supervisory role.

However, while it might seem plausible on the surface, implementation is a different story. Many in the Safety Supervision Department are actually pilots working part-time, and many are young. Aren't these greenhorns easily manipulated by Qin Zongyang? Would they dare supervise him?

ridiculous!

Moreover, Qin Zongyang wasn't trying to turn black into white; he was just embellishing the details. He figured those hot-headed young men from the safety supervision department would give him face.

Qin Zongyang, of course, would not object: "That's how the procedure is, and we must follow it. Once the investigation is complete, I will submit the report to your office."

"Okay! Then I'll leave this to you! I won't worry about it." Chen Fei still had a lot of faith in Qin Zongyang's abilities, after all, it wasn't anything particularly important.

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen!" Qin Zongyang reassured him again before hanging up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Qin Zongyang put away his phone, the gloom in his heart vanishing, replaced by a refreshed feeling. He patted the passenger in the passenger seat who had been devising the plan: "Kid, you're quick-witted, not bad, not bad! When are you getting promoted?"

The passenger in the front seat was quick-witted to begin with, and his eyes lit up upon hearing this. He repeatedly said, "Almost there! Almost there! Thank you, Mr. Qin!"

"It's nothing, it's nothing! The company had that emergency landing incident recently, so the inspection standards are generally higher, you know that, right?" Qin Zongyang said meaningfully.

"I know, I know! We definitely have to follow the company standards."

"Of course, how could we break the rules? When you've completed your timeline and landed, remember to mention it to Feibiao when you submit your promotion application."

Qin Zongyang didn't explicitly say what he was referring to, but the passenger in the front seat had already received his message and was overjoyed: "Okay, okay! I'll have to trouble you then, Mr. Qin."

"There's no trouble at all. I'm just fulfilling my duties as an inspector," Qin Zongyang said with a smile. At this moment, he was already thinking about how to trick Wang Lingkun.

On Star Travel Flight 6554, the plane was rapidly diving at a speed of over 4,000 feet per minute. Wang Lingkun gripped the speed brake handle with his right hand, his face expressionless.

"Xu Xian, come and take your seat when the plane levels out," Wang Lingkun suddenly said. "Lian Shanxue, your flight path check is finished. You won't need to fly after we level out. I'll sign off on it for you after we land."

Compared to Lian Shanxue, Wang Lingkun still recognized Xu Xian's abilities more, and at this critical juncture, he hoped to maximize the crew's capabilities.

The aircraft is currently in a rapid descent phase, and its attitude is unstable. For safety reasons, we will not change crew members at this time. It will be safer to change crew members once the aircraft has leveled off and its condition has stabilized.

Lian Shanxue followed Wang Lingkun's instructions and replied, "Understood, Instructor!"

Wang Lingkun just clearly stated that he would sign it for her after landing, which means the inspection has passed. Although an inspection failure notice still needs to be signed even if it fails, the instructor won't say he'll sign it for you.

"Here's my signature!" These four words mean the inspection has passed.

"Xu Xian! Did you hear me?" Wang Lingkun repeated himself when Xu Xian didn't respond. But even after the repetition, there was still no reply.

"Huh?" Wang Lingkun turned around and saw Xu Xian clutching his chest, his face slightly pale. "Xu Xian, what's wrong?"

"Huh?" Xu Xiancai finally realized what was happening and quickly said, "No, it's nothing! It's just that the rain was going too fast and my ears are a little uncomfortable."

"Is your ear uncomfortable? Is it pressing on your ear?" Wang Lingkun frowned. "Is it serious?"

"It's nothing serious!" Xu Xian said with a smile.

"Oh! Then after it's leveled, you can take over, right?" Wang Lingkun repeated.

Xu Xian quickly replied, "No problem!"

Wang Lingkun looked Xu Xian up and down, and finding that Xu Xian seemed to be fine, he nodded and said, "Then you should get ready." After saying that, he looked away.

Xu Xian breathed a sigh of relief, frowned and rubbed his chest, but when he looked up he found Lian Shanxue still looking at him, her eyes full of worry.

Lian Shanxue knew that Xu Xian had experienced a very severe ear injury last week, even resulting in tympanic membrane hemorrhage. However, when he came to fly there, Xu Xian assured Lian Shanxue that his ear was fine. Why is it uncomfortable again now?

To be honest, cooperating with the flight path inspection wasn't worth risking his health. Xu Xian understood this clearly. The fact that he was willing to cooperate meant that his ear problem should have been resolved, or at least wasn't a major issue.

However, Xu Xian still claims that his ears are uncomfortable, so the veracity of this statement needs to be questioned.

Moreover, the observant Lian Shanxue noticed that Xu Xian was not covering his ears, but rather his chest, which seemed quite strange.

Looking at Lian Shanxue, whose eyes were full of worry, Xu Xian gave her a reassuring smile and waved to indicate that he was alright.

Lian Shanxue gave Xu Xian a deep look, but in the end she had no choice but to look away, though her worries remained.

"Star Travel 6554, continue descending to standard pressure of 3900 meters, fly over Wupanshan! Contact Qianyang Control 122.2, goodbye!" At this moment, Nanyong area control issued the frequency switching instruction.

"Descend to 3900 meters, fly over Wupanshan, contact Qianyang control 122.2, goodbye! Star Travel 6554!" Lianshanxue replied.

"3900, 12800 feet!" Wang Lingkun reset the height of the MCP board.

Lian Shanxue on the right confirmed: "12800 feet, verified!"

After adjusting the control frequency in Qianyang District, Lian Shanxue contacted Qianyang Control Center: "Hello Qianyang, Xingyou 6554, altitude 3900, standard bar altitude 3900, flying directly to Wupanshan, transponder 2145, at your command!"

"Star Traveler 6554, radar detected." Qianyang Air Traffic Control immediately responded: "We have received your report. Currently flying at heading 330, descending to 3900 meters!"

"Heading 330, descending to 3900 meters, Star Travel 6554!"

When Wang Lingkun changed course to 330, Lian Shanxue noticed that 330's course was almost directly flying towards Qianyang Airport. It was clear that Qianyang's area control had provided Xu Xian and his team with significant convenience.

After the radar guidance command was issued, the Qianyang air traffic control, as always, inquired about the aircraft's current status: "Xingyou 6554, what is the current status of the aircraft?"

Wang Lingkun answered this question proactively: "Star Travel 6554, the aircraft is still under control. If convenient, we hope to communicate with approach control in advance so that after the approach maneuver, it can fly directly to the fifth approach of runway 01."

When they made their emergency landing in Qianyang, they were already crossing the bridge to Qianyang Airport. The wind direction at the airport was 350/02, and they were still using runway 01.

They are now flying directly to the airport at heading 330, without having to pass through the third and fourth sides. If conditions permit, they can even cut directly through the fifth side. This will save a lot of time.

"Star Travel 6554, we have already followed up with the approach and control tower. The traffic flow at this airport is not high right now, making it easy to manage. We will prioritize you as much as possible," Qianyang Control said.

Wang Lingkun was naturally quite satisfied with the control measures' explanation. He gestured to Lian Shanxue, indicating that she should continue communicating with the control personnel.

"Also, do you need any help after you land?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Lingkun continued, "After we land, we'll organize the passengers to disembark quickly. Is there a jet bridge at the parking spot we've been assigned?"

If the parking position has a jet bridge, it will be much easier to implement rapid disembarkation.

"Yes!" the Qianyang area control said. "We've also communicated with the airport, and they've contacted the airport fire department to be on standby. Do you think we still need medical support?"

Although Qianyang Airport is also a provincial capital airport, it is much smaller than Dianyungang Airport. In the event of a problem, the airport fire department would arrive in a very short time, and given that the communication panel overheating incident likely wouldn't require the airport fire department's assistance, the fact that the airport had the fire department on standby is already a considerable precaution.

As for having fire trucks simply stand by near their parking spots, that seems like overkill. It only increases panic and doesn't serve any real purpose.

It's worth noting that the fire truck garage at Qianyang Airport is less than a ten-minute drive from the furthest parking spot, which is very convenient.

As for the medical support mentioned by Qianyang Air Force, that was because the smoke could potentially harm the crew's respiratory system. Just in case, he wanted to consult the crew to see if they needed a doctor.

"Not needed for now. The overheating and smoke from the communication panel is very minor," Wang Lingkun said.

"Okay! If there are any problems, please let us know immediately."

After communicating with air traffic control, Wang Lingkun called the flight crew. The crew, who had been without any information, finally received a communication from the cockpit, and the weight on their hearts was finally lifted a little.

"Our plane is experiencing a minor problem and is expected to make an emergency landing at Qianyang Airport within fifteen minutes. You can make an announcement to inform passengers of the emergency landing. After landing, please arrange for passengers to disembark quickly and not to take any carry-on luggage. After disembarking, please keep passengers within a safe distance and allow them to come back in to collect their luggage once it is confirmed that the airport is safe," Wang Lingkun said.

The flight attendant was slightly taken aback: "Captain, are we changing planes?"

If you don't need to change planes, you don't need to take your carry-on luggage down. Since the captain said that once it's safe to do so, passengers will be able to go back to the cabin to retrieve their luggage, doesn't that mean we'll be changing planes?

Why change planes? Considering the abnormal flight status, the plane must have experienced some serious malfunction.

"Most likely!" Even if the overheating of the communication panel doesn't have a particularly significant impact on flight safety, restoring it to a suitable, ready-to-fly state wouldn't be an easy task. Moreover, Xingyou Airlines doesn't have its own dedicated spare parts warehouse at Qianyang Airport, so repairing the communication panel would definitely require replacing the equipment. Based on this, Wang Lingkun felt it was almost certain that the aircraft would need to be replaced.

Of course, Wang Lingkun's conclusion was based on his own experience. If the final inspection concluded that the plane could take off again after a short period of repairs, then it wouldn't be a big deal. In that case, it would save passengers the trouble of having to come back to collect their luggage.

The flight attendant hesitated for a moment, then asked the question that had been puzzling her since the plane began its descent: "Captain, what's wrong with the plane?"

Wang Lingkun didn't elaborate, nor was there any need to; he simply said dismissively, "It's a minor issue, nothing serious! You don't need to worry!"

The overheating of the communication panel wasn't a major problem. Even if the flight attendant were informed, she wouldn't know what the malfunction meant or how dangerous it was. Wang Lingkun didn't have time to analyze it in detail for the flight attendant, so it was better to just give her a conclusion.

With Wang Lingkun's words, the flight attendant felt relieved. She wasn't the type to be curious; she only needed the captain to tell her the severity of the situation, and that would give her a general idea of ​​what was going on.

"Okay, Captain!" The chief flight attendant spoke with more confidence at this moment.

After ending the call and reassuring the flight attendant, Wang Lingkun was finally able to focus all his energy on the plane.

Shortly after receiving instructions from the cockpit, the purser made an announcement to the passengers, mainly informing them of the emergency landing in Qianyang and the need for passengers to disembark quickly upon arrival. The announcements could be heard from both the cockpit and the cabin.

"Two thousand to be changed to flat!"

At an altitude of approximately 13000 feet, as they were approaching leveling altitude, Wang Lingkun retracted the speed brakes and slightly reduced the aircraft's speed to prevent it from exceeding the speed limit due to turbulence.

"Let's switch seats!" Seeing that the plane was almost level, Wang Lingkun urged Xu Xian and Lian Shanxue to change seats, adding, "Let's connect the communications!"

"Traffic communication!" As soon as Instructor Wang Lingkun spoke, Lian Shanxue began to unbuckle her seatbelt. Xu Xian scratched his head, took out his earphones, and stood up to give Lian Shanxue her seat.

Two minutes later, Xu Xian sat in the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, adjusted his headset, and, seeing that everything was fine, said, "I'm answering the call!"

"Traffic!" After Xu Xian took his seat, Wang Lingkun visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and his whole body visibly relaxed.

It's clear that Wang Lingkun felt much less pressure after Xu Xian took his seat.

Xu Xian glanced at the communication panel, which remained unchanged, thought for a moment, and said to Wang Lingkun, "Instructor, what if overheating causes the communication to fail later? Just in case, let's discuss a plan with the control beforehand."

Although the communication panel is still overheating and even smoking, the communication function has not been affected. At least for now, it's still working. However, it's possible that the aircraft's communication function might be affected in the next second.

Since there is a risk of communication failure, why not plan contingency plans in advance while communication is still possible? This would avoid having to deal with radio failures later.

"Oh? What are your thoughts?" Wang Lingkun hadn't expected this and was amazed by Xu Xian's thoughtfulness.

Xu Xian showed the approach map to Wang Lingkun. They were approaching from south to north, and there were three roughly equal approach directions. Xu Xian chose a relatively straightforward approach procedure and said, "If the radio fails, shall we proceed with the P490-9A approach and landing?"

The reason they couldn't fly directly to the fifth approach without air traffic control guidance is that, without the protection of the approach procedure, they struggled to maintain sufficient altitude for obstacle clearance. To avoid terrain warnings, they had to descend gradually according to the procedure.

Wang Lingkun glanced at the entrance picture and affirmed Xu Xian's choice.

Wang Lingkun had no objections, so Xu Xian directly contacted the control center: "Qianyang, Xingyou 6554!"

"Star Traveler 6554, please speak!"

"Our communication panel is currently overheating, which may cause communication failure. If a communication failure occurs, we will maintain our heading and enter the P490-9A procedure, then descend according to the procedure and establish Instrument Landing No. 01. We will land on our own and disembark at the nearest available location. Please have the airport monitor our position and prepare a guide vehicle in advance. Once the aircraft lands and disembarks, we will follow the guide vehicle into the port."

Xu Xian's long speech not only considered the possibility of communication failures in the air, but also took into account the situation on the ground, which can be described as comprehensive.

"We will notify the approach and airport authorities, and this plan will be followed in the event of a communication failure." Qianyang's area control was quite accommodating and accepted Xu Xian's request very quickly.

There's absolutely no need to consider that. In the event of a communication failure, an emergency code will be issued, and that definitely has priority. If we agree now, the approach and airport authorities shouldn't have any objections.

Having explained everything and planned for some anticipated malfunctions, Xu Xian could finally focus on flying.

"To be honest, I never expected these things to happen. The internet saying you're an arrogant and reckless fool is utter nonsense!" Wang Lingkun exclaimed in amazement.

Xu Xiangang displayed his meticulous thinking the moment he sat down, something completely unseen in a mere level three co-pilot. At the very least, the abilities Xu Xiangang demonstrated surpassed his technical skill level.

Wang Lingkun thought to himself, "No wonder he was able to make the forced landing on the Kunyang River!"

There are no coincidences in the world, at least not in Xu Xian's case.

"Teacher, are you praising me?" Xu Xian smiled.

Wang Lingkun snorted, not responding to that, but instead said, "Focus on flying!"

After leaving the scene with satisfaction, Qin Zongyang did not go home immediately. Instead, he sat leisurely in the company's lounge, waiting for a phone call from someone.

Not long after, Qin Zongyang's long-awaited phone finally rang. He glanced at the caller ID, smiled slightly, and answered the call.

"Old Qin, what's your decision?" It was Wang Lingkun's voice coming from the other end of the phone.

Qin Zongyang sat leisurely on the sofa and chuckled, "Landed safely?"

"It's not a control issue; what could an overheated communication panel possibly affect?"

"Oh? Then, as usual, bring the crew back in three hours. Flight number 6434. We'll contact the Qianyang airfield to give you the mission briefing," Qin Zongyang said.

Flight 6434 is a flight from Qianyang to Yunnan, with departure time approximately three hours later.

Wang Lingkun knew, of course, that he couldn't fly, and returning to Yunnan was perfectly reasonable. But his call to Qin Zongyang wasn't to discuss the upcoming itinerary; that was a matter for confirmation with the dispatcher, not Qin Zongyang's responsibility.

Wang Lingkun felt it necessary to remind Qin Zongyang again: "Old Qin, pretending to be crazy won't work! Your apprentice is involved too, aren't you going to just leave him alone?"

"I'll manage it! How could I not manage it?" Qin Zongyang laughed. "Let me tell you something!"

"What?"

Qin Zongyang said coldly, "I'm the investigator for this incident! When you return to Yunnan, we need to have a serious talk, both professionally and personally."

"What did you say?" Wang Lingkun's voice suddenly rose on the other end of the phone, as if Qin Zongyang had grabbed his neck: "Impossible! Xu Xian is your apprentice, shouldn't you avoid suspicion?"

"Why should we avoid suspicion?" Qin Zongyang asked with a half-smile. "We're investigating you, and you're the primary person responsible. What's the need for us to avoid suspicion?"

"Impossible! The Safety Supervision Department will send people to supervise. How dare you distort the truth?" Wang Lingkun said urgently.

Qin Zongyang shrugged it off: "You think I can't handle those kids from the Safety Supervision Department?"

Wang Lingkun gasped. Qin Zongyang dared to say that; he probably wasn't afraid of the Ministry of Safety Supervision's oversight!

"How is this possible?" Wang Lingkun was completely stunned. Things hadn't gone according to plan at all! He had originally intended to drag Xu Xian down with him, so Qin Zongyang would have to help. But Qin Zongyang had completely pulled the rug out from under him. "I'm directly becoming my apprentice's investigator. You think you can play tricks on me?"

Murder and punish the heart, but so!

"What's impossible?" Qin Zongyang said coldly, "I told you before, don't threaten me! Alright, see you in Yunnan!"

(End of this chapter)