Legendary Captain

Chapter 201 Special Situation Reappears! Breathing at 30,000 Feet!

The front cabin crew compartment of Star Travel 6341.

After the aircraft entered cruise and the cabin service ended, the chief flight attendant and the third flight attendant enjoyed a long-awaited moment of peace and quiet, chatting in their seats.

As they were talking, the flight attendant suddenly stopped talking, held her breath, and seemed to be listening to some sound.

"Did you hear anything? It sounds like a buzzing sound?" The flight attendant listened for a while but couldn't be sure if she had misheard.

Flight attendant number three listened for a while but didn't hear anything particularly noticeable, so she laughed and said, "Sister, are you sure you didn't hear wrong? That was scary!"

The flight attendant pursed her lips and said, "They're probably just tired today and are hallucinating."

Today's four-section tour was nearly full, and the various miscellaneous tasks were quite exhausting. Now that we're in the last section, we're almost at our limit.

"It's the last paragraph, and it's gone too."

No sooner had Flight Attendant Number Three finished speaking than a loud bang suddenly blew open the left front cabin door, leaving the purser and Flight Attendant Number Three, who were closest to the door, with their heads buzzing.

Before the flight attendant could react, there was a commotion in the cabin. Looking up, she saw that all the oxygen masks had fallen down.

"Oh no, the cabin door sealing collar is broken!" The flight attendant was a veteran, and she guessed the cause almost instantly after regaining consciousness. However, as she spoke, she exhaled a cloud of white mist, as if the environment inside the plane was already in the dead of winter.

"Oxygen masks!" the flight attendant shouted decisively.

Each flight attendant's seat is equipped with an oxygen mask, just like the passenger seats, so that they can be worn when the aircraft is depressurized.

Under the direction of the chief flight attendant, the third flight attendant also quickly put on her oxygen mask.

The flight attendant was still worried, so she took a deep breath through her oxygen mask, then slightly removed it, fumbled for a microphone, and quickly made an announcement reminding passengers to put their oxygen masks on properly.

She didn't know how high the plane was, but in just a few seconds between the failure of the cabin door seal and the rapid depressurization of the plane, she already felt dizzy and lightheaded, which was a sign of hypoxia. It wasn't until she quickly put on an oxygen mask that she felt some relief.

Such a rapid and severe oxygen deprivation reaction undoubtedly indicates that the aircraft is currently flying at an extremely high altitude. At high altitudes, if the aircraft rapidly depressurizes, people who do not wear oxygen masks in time are likely to lose consciousness and eventually die.

"Passengers who have put on their oxygen masks, please check if the passengers next to you are wearing oxygen masks. If not, please help them!" The flight attendant took the opportunity to announce again over the loudspeaker: "Passengers who wish to help should first make sure they have put on their own oxygen masks!"

Helping others is certainly a good thing, but you must ensure your own safety.

The flight attendant had barely finished speaking when the plane suddenly began to descend. The flight attendant snapped to attention: "We're starting an emergency descent!"

In the cockpit, the loud noise caused by the bursting of the seal on the left front hatch also reached Lian Shanxue's ears at the same moment.

Lian Shanxue, who had just taken over the controls, was startled. Before she could figure out what was happening, she heard the instructor on her left sit up irritably: "What was that sound?"

As soon as the instructor's voice came out, Lian Shanxue noticed a thin layer of frost on the airplane windshield.

"This is."

Lian Shanxue slowly reached her hand toward the windshield, and for a moment she wondered if she was seeing things.

However, unlike Lian Shanxue's reaction, the instructor was a veteran of many battles, and he would have an instinctive reaction to certain noises from the aircraft.

Although he couldn't figure out what the sudden loud noise was, he instinctively looked at the boost control panel as if by conditioned reflex.

When an aircraft rapidly depressurizes, a dull thud is often heard. The instructor wasn't sure if the aircraft had depressurized, so he felt it necessary to verify.

When the instructor looked up and saw the pressurization panel, or more precisely, the cabin altitude and elevation gauge, his eyelids twitched violently.

Before I knew it, the cabin altitude gauge had reached its limit, and the reading was rising rapidly. Then I checked the differential pressure gauge, and the reading was almost zero.

"The flight path is open!"

The instructor's mind went blank. The cabin pressure difference was close to zero, which meant the air pressure inside and outside the cabin was almost equal, meaning the plane had depressurized. That noise just now must have meant there was damage somewhere in the aircraft cabin!

"Pressure released! Oxygen mask!"

The last bit of drowsiness vanished instantly, and the instructor sat up straight. The plane was now at an altitude of 11,300 meters, over 37,000 feet. If depressurization were to occur here, the pilot would only be able to maintain consciousness for about ten seconds. If the reaction was slow, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Lian Shanxue was still too young and didn't grasp the instructor's meaning immediately. Mainly, the instructor spoke too quickly, unlike the flight attendant who spoke clearly and precisely. Lian Shanxue didn't hear clearly at first and was still wondering what the instructor was saying.

However, it doesn't matter if she can't hear clearly; the rapidly increasing cabin altitude will tell her exactly what happened in the next second!

The instructor had just placed his hand on the oxygen mask when the cabin altitude warning sounded, and a series of audible warnings clearly indicated the current situation of the aircraft.

Lian Shanxue didn't hear the instructor's words clearly at first, but the moment the cockpit altitude warning sounded, her conditioned reflex-like memory, honed through countless training sessions on the simulator, was activated.

"Instructor, hand over control!"

The instructor just handed over control of the aircraft to Lian Shanxue, who is the de facto pilot (PF). However, in the event of a dangerous situation such as depressurization, control must be transferred back to the captain; the co-pilot must not be in charge of handling the emergency.

This requirement is clearly and explicitly written in the standard operating manual. This is precisely why Xu Xian's actions in forcibly seizing control of the pilot during the Kunyang River emergency landing have drawn so much criticism.

Of course, the situation regarding Xu Xian is much more complicated, but that doesn't change the fact that some people dislike Xu Xian because of it.

After handing over control, Lian Shanxue immediately grabbed an oxygen mask. In the event of aircraft depressurization, the oxygen mask is the top priority, a point that instructors constantly emphasize during simulator training.

Once the pressure is released, finish explaining and hand over the controls. Don't worry about anything else. Just put on your oxygen mask first.

The oxygen masks for pilots are somewhat different from those that drop down from the passenger cabin. Passenger masks provide oxygen only once it starts supplying oxygen, and there is a time limit, usually fifteen to twenty minutes, after which they are used up. Pilots' oxygen masks, on the other hand, can be supplied for a longer period of time.

Moreover, the oxygen masks on airplanes are not secured with elastic bands. Instead, you pinch two red clips, then the oxygen mask hose is inflated, and then the oxygen mask is put over your head. After loosening the clips, the oxygen mask is secured to the pilot's head by the hose.

This operation had been practiced countless times on the simulator, so Lian Shanxue naturally didn't hesitate at all and put the oxygen mask on her head almost effortlessly.

For some older aircraft, after putting on the oxygen mask, you need to select the MASK switch on the communication panel so that the microphone will switch to the oxygen mask's microphone.

However, these older types of aircraft are now rare. Most of them automatically switch to the oxygen mask's microphone once the pilot puts on the oxygen mask, eliminating the need for manual switching.

The aircraft that Lianshan Xuefei flew on belonged to this type of automatic switching.

The main reason for this design is that during decompression, things are rushed, and if the microphone isn't switched, communication becomes impossible, whether between crews or between crews and air traffic control. If the pilots find themselves unable to communicate, the already high pressure during decompression will only increase their anxiety, potentially leading them to completely forget about switching the microphone.

Don't have overly high expectations of people's ability to withstand pressure, even for professional pilots.

However, when Lian Shanxue put on her oxygen mask to test the call, she discovered a problem!

Just now, between her request to hand over control and her putting on her oxygen mask, a period that wasn't long, wasn't short either, but there was still no response from the left side. If there's no response from the left side, then it's not a complete closed loop of control switching.

Logically speaking, even if an aircraft depressurizes, causing the high-pressure gases inside the cabin to flow out and create a loud gas noise that interferes with communication, this noise shouldn't be so loud that two people standing close together wouldn't be able to hear each other exchanging a command.

Moreover, even after the oxygen mask was put on, the crew communication still needed to be verified. Since there was no response from the left side, the subsequent procedures could not continue.

Just as she was having doubts, Lian Shanxue turned her head and looked to the left. With just one glance, her heart clenched.

The instructor had clearly taken out the oxygen mask with his left hand, but he was hunched over like a boiled shrimp, clutching his stomach, his face deathly pale, and a few drops of cold sweat were seeping from his temples.

"Instructor, instructor, what's wrong?" Lian Shanxue asked the instructor through the intercom speaker. She couldn't take off her oxygen mask either.

"My stomach... my stomach hurts." Lian Shanxue didn't know why the teacher had suddenly become like this. She only saw that he was clenching his teeth when he spoke, as if all his strength was fighting against the pain.

However, his already weak voice and somewhat blackened lips could not tell that the instructor was in very bad condition.

"My stomach hurts, why does my stomach hurt?" When relieving stress, some people have earaches, some have headaches, but I've never heard of a stomachache before!

However, the instructor's contorted face and large beads of sweat showed that he was not joking; he was truly experiencing inhuman suffering.

"This...this..." Lian Shanxue had never encountered such a situation before and immediately panicked. This is completely different from training! How can the instructor possibly control the aircraft in this state? Does this mean she has to handle the rapid decompression and emergency descent procedure all by herself?

However, before Lian Shanxue could figure out what to do next, with a thud, the plane suddenly began to dive downwards.

Lian Shanxue was startled. Looking over, she saw that the plane had broken away from autopilot, disengaged from cruise mode, and entered a rapid descent.

Then, just as Lian Shanxue was at a loss, the autopilot disengagement warning sounded, and the A/P indicator light also lit up.

The autopilot system has stopped!

Even Shan Xue's scalp was starting to tingle; this situation had far exceeded the scope of a sudden decompression or emergency descent.

Regardless, with the autopilot disengaged, she would have to take over manual control.

Given the current situation, it's clear that we can't return to the previous altitude, so we might as well go with the flow and directly initiate the emergency descent procedure!

Since the instructor can't control it now, she'll complete the program for two people all by herself!

Just as Lian Shanxue's hand touched the steering wheel, with only a slight movement, she felt resistance in the controls. For a moment, Lian Shanxue even thought that the controls were stuck.

Her mind was buzzing. If she had encountered a control blockage during a period of rapid stress relief, it would have been an unimaginable and terrifying disaster.

Fortunately, fate didn't play this joke on Lian Shanxue. She slightly moved the steering wheel and found that the push rod was not obstructed, but the pull rod was much more difficult.

In that instant, a possibility occurred to her. Turning her gaze again, she discovered that the instructor had somehow slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious.

Heaven wasn't entirely heartless, not adding a malfunction to Lian Shanxue's control system, but an instructor whose fate was uncertain was enough to keep Lian Shanxue busy.

Just now, the instructor's upper body was pressed against the control stick, causing the aircraft to deviate from the autopilot's control. When the deviation is too large, the autopilot will automatically disengage, which is why the autopilot disengagement warning sounded just now.

"We're running out of oxygen!"

Lian Shanxue quickly figured out why the instructor had lost consciousness. The instructor had been having stomach pains, the cause of which she didn't know, but the intense pain prevented the instructor from putting on the oxygen mask. At an altitude of nearly 40,000 feet, it only takes about ten seconds for a pilot to lose consciousness.

In addition, the instructors are already old, and their physical skills are not as good as when they were young, so they can stay awake for even shorter periods of time.

"We must put an oxygen mask on him!" Lian Shanxue thought to herself.

Currently, the unconsciousness is only due to lack of oxygen. If this continues, it could become life-threatening.

Moreover, if the instructor had been given oxygen in time, he might have been able to wake up again, which would have prevented the awkward situation of having only one person operating the cockpit.

Having made up her mind, Lian Shanxue swept away her panic and immediately declared an emergency: "MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY! Star Travel 6341, cabin depressurization is rapid, requesting emergency descent!"

At this point, the plane was already in descent mode and it was impossible to climb back to the original altitude and then slowly request an emergency descent.

The moment she announced the emergency descent, she slammed on the right steering wheel, turning the course 30 degrees to the right and veering off course to avoid a collision with the aircraft below.

After completing this action, Lian Shanxue first turned off the cabin altitude sound warning, and then, from top to bottom, turned on the passenger oxygen switch, seat belt indicator, all lights, terrain display, engine start switch, and engaged the emergency code.

As for the procedure of adjusting the pressure boosting panel to the manual position and then manually operating the outflow valve until it is completely closed, Lian Shanxue simply omitted it.

Judging from the loud noise and the pressure gauge readings, there must be some damage to the aircraft, causing a connection between the inside and outside. Even if we close the outflow valve, it won't help. We might as well skip this step and focus on other more important matters.

Next, she set the speed to 320 knots in the MCP speed window. 320 knots is not the aircraft's maximum speed, but because of the noise she had just heard, Lian Shanxue suspected that the aircraft was damaged. She dared not fly too fast, otherwise she was afraid that the aircraft would not be able to withstand the excessive load and would break apart.

Next, I continuously turned the altitude knob counter-clockwise, roughly adjusting to a lower altitude. A more precise descent altitude would require instructions from air traffic control. Finally, I reduced the throttle to its maximum. At this point, the aircraft was already at the top of the stick; if I didn't reduce the throttle further, the aircraft would immediately exceed the speed limit. Simultaneously, I pulled up the speed brakes to further increase the descent rate; reaching a lower altitude as quickly as possible was now the top priority.

After doing all that, Lian Shanxue still has one more thing to do: activate the autonomous driving function.

In such an emergency, it's recommended to use autopilot, as clearly stated in the operating manual. Moreover, she's the only conscious person in the cockpit right now, so to alleviate the pressure of controlling the vehicle, we must engage autopilot as much as possible. Otherwise, Lian Shanxue simply can't handle it all by herself.

At this moment, the instructor's upper body is pressing down on the steering wheel, and any external intervention will disrupt the autopilot. Therefore, the instructor's body must be moved away first.

Because the shoulder straps restricted her movement, Lian Shanxue simply removed both shoulder straps, leaned to one side, operated the steering wheel with her right hand, and grabbed the instructor's right arm with her left hand, trying to pull his upper body up.

However, at this moment, Lian Shanxue's right hand was controlling the aircraft, and her whole body had no point of leverage, so she couldn't exert any force. In addition, the instructor's weight was really unclear. After Lian Shanxue exerted a lot of force, she not only failed to pull the instructor away, but it also affected the control of her right hand, and she almost lost control of the aircraft's speed.

"Damn it!"

Lian Shanxue was extremely anxious. Not only was she unable to engage autopilot with the instructor pressed against the steering wheel, but even disregarding the autopilot issue, her instructor's current position made it difficult for her to put an oxygen mask on him!

No matter what, we have to pull the instructors away first!

Just then, an air traffic control voice came over the loudspeaker: "Star Traveler 6341, you may descend to an altitude of 4,500 meters! After veering six nautical miles to the right, proceed with a parallel descent!"

An emergency descent offset to the right by six nautical miles is a fairly normal operation, but Lian Shanxue did not expect that there would be further influences below, preventing a direct descent below 10,000 feet.

It is estimated that there are obstacles such as mountains below, and the flight's safe altitude does not allow it to descend directly below 10,000 feet.

Ignoring the instructor for the moment, Lian Shanxue immediately replied: "Four thousand five hundred meters, received!"

The situation was so urgent that even Shan Xue hadn't finished saying her flight number! She hadn't even finished repeating the air traffic control instructions!

Lian Shanxue quickly adjusted the altitude to 14800 feet on the MCP board. Then, he disengaged and released the steering wheel, grabbed the sun visor with his right hand as a fulcrum, and with a final push from his left hand, he managed to pull the instructor's upper body off the steering wheel.

The instructor was pulled back against the seat by Lian Shanxue. Then, Lian Shanxue quickly resumed manual control, took over the unmanned aircraft, and after stabilizing it, immediately engaged autopilot and applied roll and pitch controls.

After dealing with the autopilot issue, Lian Shanxue was preparing to set a course six nautical miles to the right of CDU, but when she turned her head, she noticed that the instructor's lips had turned black and his face had started to turn purplish-black.

The instructor's oxygen deficiency symptoms had reached a life-threatening level!

Seeing that the instructor's life was in danger, Lian Shanxue didn't care about calling CDU anymore. She immediately unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for the oxygen mask on the left seat in a half-standing position.

However, the distance between Lian Shanxue and the oxygen mask on the left was too far, and even in a half-standing position, she couldn't reach the oxygen mask.

At this moment, due to the connection between the inside and outside of the cabin, the temperature inside the entire aircraft dropped sharply, and a layer of visible frost had formed on the cockpit windshield. The delicate Lian Shanxue was trembling uncontrollably, but she was still trying to reach for the oxygen mask.

"Damn it!"

After several unsuccessful attempts, Lian Shanxue decided to pull out her chair and get up to reach for the oxygen mask.

But just as Lian Shanxue started to move, another warning sound rang out. Almost instinctively, Lian Shanxue immediately sat back in her seat, her right hand gripping the steering wheel again.

The autopilot has disconnected again!

This time, no external force was applied, but the autopilot disconnected for the second time without any warning!

With the instructor's life hanging in the balance, Lian Shanxue's recently calmed emotions were starting to crumble. She tried to reconnect the autopilot twice more, but still couldn't get it to work.

Even the gentle and kind Lian Shanxue was about to curse at this moment.

Perhaps the low temperature in the cockpit caused a problem with the electrical equipment, or perhaps it was some other strange reason, but the autonomous driving system just wouldn't engage. It was at the perfect, crucial moment.

The autopilot couldn't engage, so she had to take control manually. But to reach the instructor's oxygen mask, she had to pull her seat back and stand up to reach it. During this time, she couldn't operate the aircraft at all.

The situation just now forced her to briefly abandon control of the plane, which was already quite dangerous. If she were to go to get the oxygen mask, it would inevitably leave the plane unmanned for a long time.

Even in a relatively stable situation, doing this would be extremely dangerous, let alone now that the aircraft is making an emergency descent at a steep angle of attack. The idea of ​​leaving an aircraft unattended for an extended period under such conditions is simply unimaginable.

Controlling the aircraft's status is always the top priority!

If she dares to reach for the oxygen mask now, it would be extremely irresponsible to the lives of the more than one hundred passengers and crew members behind her!

She not only had to save the instructor's life, but also had to be responsible for the passengers and crew behind her!

Caught in a dilemma, Lian Shanxue struggled, her breathing becoming rapid. Her breath fogged up her goggles due to the extremely low outside temperature.

Lian Shanxue's vision blurred slightly at this moment! Time seemed to stand still, and she could only hear her own breathing.

"Xu Xian, what would you do if you were in his shoes?"

Even in such a perilous situation, the image that came to Lian Shanxue's mind was that handsome young man!

"As expected... I'm not him!" Lian Shanxue sighed softly, her voice tinged with sadness and helplessness.

Perhaps, if Xu Xian were sitting on the right right, he would be able to come up with a solution!

In that somewhat blurred vision, the instructor's bluish-purple complexion had deepened, and he was truly on the verge of death.

At this moment, Lian Shanxue was filled with despair. How could she just watch a life disappear before her eyes?

But what can she do?

Suddenly, Lian Shanxue noticed the rapidly descending altimeter; after a brief but rapid descent, the plane had already dropped below 30,000 feet.

"Thirty thousand feet." A crazy thought suddenly popped into Lian Shanxue's mind, and once it appeared, she could no longer suppress it.

However, this idea was too radical and crazy, making Lian Shanxue feel a chill run down her spine even just thinking about it.

However, the instructor's expression that she had just seen repeatedly shocked Lian Shanxue's fragile heart. Could she really just stand by and watch someone die?

"Xu Xian... Xu Xian, what should I do?" Her mind was filled with conflicting and fearful thoughts, and she found it difficult to make a decision.

But the instructor's life can't wait!

After a brief hesitation, Lian Shanxue let out a long sigh of relief, as if she had made an important decision!

She immediately switched the communications panel to the passenger announcement transmitter and then made an announcement: "The crew will be entering the cockpit in two minutes!"

The situation is so urgent that there is no time to call the crew or make an internal call.

After making the announcement, Lian Shanxue opened the cockpit door, allowing the crew to enter on their own.

After that, she pressed the clip on her oxygen mask again. With a hissing sound, the oxygen mask hose inflated again, and then Lian Shanxue slowly took off her oxygen mask.

"Please let me keep breathing!"

The moment she took off her oxygen mask, she was terrified, she was really terrified!

Theoretically, at an altitude of 30,000 feet, a pilot can remain conscious for about a minute. Given the current descent rate of over 6,000 feet, a minute is enough to descend to approximately 20,000 feet. At that point, the air is not as thin as at high altitudes, and she would have a chance of survival.

But these are all theories, and all sorts of factors can lead to huge deviations! Who knows how long she can hold out at 30,000 feet?

Nobody knows!

Lian Shanxue asked the flight crew to wait two minutes before entering the cockpit to be on the safe side. Two minutes later, given the current rate of descent, the plane would likely reach an altitude of around 15,000 feet.

Even at altitudes above 10,000 feet, people in that environment wouldn't face much danger even without oxygen masks. At this point, the flight crew could remove their oxygen masks and begin their activities.

If she didn't make it, the subsequent flight crew could take over the controls and provide first aid. This was Lian Shanxue's last line of defense.

Even if she loses consciousness briefly due to lack of oxygen, she should be able to wake up if she receives proper care.

The plan is as described, and it seems feasible, but nobody knows whether any problems will arise in its actual implementation!

Despite the risks involved, Lian Shanxue still went ahead and did it without hesitation.

It is not her place to stand by and watch someone die!

The moment she removed her oxygen mask, Lian Shanxue felt like someone suffocating, her chest heaving rapidly. She finally understood what the despair of being deprived of air truly meant.

However, Lian Shanxue did not put the oxygen mask back on. Instead, after a moment, she put the oxygen mask on the instructor.

The constant whistling of air in the cockpit masked Lian Shanxue's rapid breathing. However, just a few seconds after removing her oxygen mask, Lian Shanxue felt a dazed sensation of her body and soul being separated.

"Star Travel 6341, what's the situation now?" After briefly arranging the emergency for Star Travel 6341, the air traffic controller, now free to handle the situation, began to inquire about the specific circumstances of Star Travel 6341.

This is of course the normal procedure!

Lian Shanxue struggled to pick up her earphones, preparing to speak into the microphone. But the chill that enveloped her seemed to freeze her soul; she tried to speak several times, but couldn't utter a word!

Her consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred, as if she were about to leave her body at any moment.

"Star Travel 6341, what's your situation now?" the controller repeated, vaguely sensing that something big was about to happen.

Lian Shanxue's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, as if she couldn't open them no matter what she did. In that instant, they slowly closed.

The cockpit was filled only with the controller's repeated calls!

(End of this chapter)