Legendary Captain

Chapter 315 is highly questioned

Office of the General Manager of the Flight Department, Xingyou Aviation.

Lu Xinyu, who had once longed for this position, only realized the weight of responsibility on his shoulders after actually sitting in it. Before, with Lin Bo leading the charge, he and Qin Zongyang could focus on their own rivalry, and many things didn't require their attention. But once he was in the position, he discovered the immense weight it carried.

Cao Jinwen stood in front of Lu Xinyu's desk, his face grave: "The investigation team has found the FDR and CVR, but the flight data recorder is severely damaged, and the data may be unrecoverable. In contrast, although the flight voice recorder is also damaged, the situation is not as serious, and some cockpit voice information should still be able to be extracted."

There are generally two types of black boxes on an aircraft: the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Flight Voice Recorder (CVR).

The flight data recorder contains almost all the important flight data, including flight time, speed, altitude, aircraft control surface deflection, engine speed, and temperature. It can record up to 25 hours of data, making it an extremely important reference for investigators.

The flight data recorder contains precise meteorological data, which is much more detailed than the general weather reports provided by the airport.

If the cause of this incident is to be determined to be weather-related, then the meteorological data from the flight data recorder is crucial. At least for rigorous data, its reliability is quite high.

Another type of flight voice recorder, CVR, also known as cockpit voice recorder, records the voices of the flight crew, cabin crew, and even passengers, which is also helpful in reconstructing the situation at the time.

However, compared to the CVR's voice recorder, the flight data recorder plays a more crucial role in incident investigations. Most of the time, cockpit voice recordings provide supplementary details to the incident reconstruction, but the data extracted from the flight data recorder is primarily used to construct the framework of the incident reconstruction and to determine its nature.

Investigators cannot rely solely on the crew's statements as the basis for their investigation. People are under immense psychological pressure at the time, and it's uncertain whether the pilots could even react in time to the true situation under such pressure, or even whether they were mentally sound at the time.

Given the questionable credibility and accuracy of this system, the cabin audio recordings provided by voice recorders are destined to serve only as supplementary references, and their decisive effect is not strong.

However, it is somewhat ironic that the flight data recorder, which truly reflects what happened at the time, is severely damaged, while the relatively less important voice recorder seems to have been preserved.

"How's the collection of the aircraft wreckage going?" Lu Xinyu asked.

Cao Jinwen: "The aircraft wreckage is scattered too widely, making the search difficult and likely requiring some time. However, based on the current on-site information, the investigation team has not found any signs of mechanical failure. However, based on the visual observations of the tower controllers and the results of the on-site investigation, it appears that the left landing gear broke off first upon touchdown. It was this breakage of the left landing gear that caused the aircraft to overshoot the runway, leading to the fuselage breaking off."

According to the air traffic controller at the Qiancheng Tower, he personally witnessed the left landing gear fly off shortly after the aircraft touched down, and then the aircraft's runway direction immediately became uncontrollable, causing it to run off the runway from the left sideline.

Furthermore, the on-site examination of the aircraft wreckage revealed clear signs of breakage on the left landing gear strut. All indications suggest a significant error occurred during the landing, leading to the landing gear failure. The crucial question now is: why did this severe landing failure occur? Was it due to crew error or objective factors such as weather? The difference between these two is vast.

"Let me tell you, there's a lot of speculation online about this incident. Tell the squadron leader to notify the heads and deputy heads of the subordinate safety teams to contact their members one-on-one and absolutely prohibit them from making any random comments online. This matter is of great importance. If the public opinion turns out badly, everyone in our flight department will be implicated. The group's public relations department has already moved in; if any problems arise, they will be dealt with immediately," Lu Xinyu specifically instructed.

The plane overran the runway and broke in two. The commotion was so great that it was impossible to cover it up perfectly, and the news has already spread online.

Lu Xinyu couldn't control what random people on the internet said; he had to make sure that no one from the flight department would make online comments under the guise of a company employee.

The group probably understood the seriousness of the situation and that Star Travel might not be able to handle it alone. Therefore, the group directly dispatched a portion of its public relations department to the site. This served two purposes: to alleviate the pressure on Star Travel and to supervise the confidentiality of Star Travel employees. Such pronouncements from so-called "insiders" could easily be cited by malicious media outlets, potentially putting Star Travel in a very unfavorable position; they need to be careful.

This time, the group's public relations department came armed with knives. Any employee in any department who dared to speak out of turn would be replaced from top to bottom. Lu Xinyu didn't want to be forced to step down before he had even warmed his seat as general manager of the flight department.

Cao Jinwen didn't seem surprised by the news that the group's public relations department had sent people. He even asked, "The group's public relations department? I've also heard that the group sent people. Who are they this time? Are they high-ranking?"

"It's Manager Chen from the group's public relations department. Don't take any chances; give him your instructions carefully." Lu Xinyu waved his hand. "By the way, what did the people from the Yunnan Regulatory Bureau want with Wei Zhibin last time?"

Wei Zhibin is the AOC Director of Xingyou Airlines, the head of the operations control system. When the Yunnan Provincial Regulatory Bureau came to request Xu Xian's training and inspection files, they also went to see the AOC Director. However, Lu Xinyu didn't know what the Yunnan Provincial Regulatory Bureau asked, and since Wei Zhibin was of a higher rank than him, he couldn't ask directly.

The entire company is in a state of high alert, and Lu Xinyu wants to have all the information. Cao Jinwen is very well-informed; he might even know something.

"What could be wrong? It's just checking if the plane has transmitted any fault data," Cao Jinwen said.

The monitoring system of the current operations control center is quite powerful. It monitors the status of every aircraft in flight at all times, and the operations control center can receive fault codes if they occur.

However, an airline's operations control center has limited data processing capabilities and cannot monitor every single operational data point of the aircraft, only the relevant key data nodes. It's not that the airline's operations control center lacks the ability to monitor all aircraft fault codes, but rather that if it did, the operations control center's computers would frequently crash.

In an aircraft's data system, a fault code is generated whenever a malfunction occurs anywhere in the system. This is how the operations control center monitors the aircraft. However, with hundreds of aircraft flying around for an airline, it's simply impractical to monitor every single one.

However, the operations control center monitors the aircraft's critical systems, so any malfunctions should indicate problems with these critical systems. Therefore, the monitoring data from the operations control center is still highly reliable.

Based on the condition of the aircraft wreckage observed at the scene, it can be roughly inferred whether there was a problem with the aircraft's mechanical system.

"Has any fault data been transmitted?" Normally, if there were any minor issues, the company, or at least the flight department, would be buzzing with news. Why would Lu Xinyu, the general manager of the flight department, need to inquire with others? But this time, the higher-ups are keeping things very secret, only releasing limited information, leaving even Lu Xinyu somewhat confused.

Cao Jinwen shrugged: "The information I've received is no."

Just then, Lu Xinyu's assistant rushed in, bypassing Cao Jinwen, and reported to Lu Xinyu: "President Lu, the investigation team has sent back news about the flight data recorder and voice recorder."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xinyu's expression turned serious. They had just been discussing the damage to the flight data recorder, and now they had received news so quickly.

"Tell me quickly, what news do you have?" Lu Xinyu said impatiently, while Cao Jinwen, who was next to him, also listened attentively.

"The flight data recorder was severely damaged. The investigation team's technicians tried many methods without success, so it will probably be handed over to a third-party data recovery agency."

Lu Xinyu frowned: "Is it that serious?"

The authorities also have many highly skilled technicians, but even they couldn't handle it. Although those third-party organizations specialize in data recovery, it's hard to say how much more skilled they are than the authorities' technicians.

"That's right! Even with third-party data recovery agencies, the situation isn't optimistic," the assistant said. "This isn't just me making things up; it's what the investigation team's technicians said themselves!"

"Just as I expected!" Lu Xinyu cursed under his breath. "The flight data is gone. If it really was caused by turbulence, then Xu Xian and Ning Sheng will never be able to clear their names!"

Flight safety incidents are invariably caused by human error, weather conditions, or mechanical issues. Lu Xinyu, subjectively confident in Xu Xian and Ning Sheng's abilities, ruled out human error. Currently, the operations control center hasn't received any fault code data, and the investigation team's on-site inspection suggests a high probability of no mechanical malfunction. Of course, this is only a high probability; the operations control center's monitoring system cannot cover all aircraft malfunctions, and the investigation team's on-site inspection has only just begun, so some issues may remain undetected. Discoveries may be made in a few days.

However, whether from a personal perspective or from a probabilistic standpoint, weather conditions are likely the most likely cause. Unfortunately, Qiancheng Airport cannot provide precise weather data for the specific area it serves; it can only provide a general MEATR report, which is not very meaningful for reference.

"That's not the most important thing!" The assistant took out his phone, did a few simple operations, and opened a recording.

There's some background noise in the recording, but it's still fairly clear: "Instructor, could you hold it for me? I'm not used to operating it with my left hand. If it falls too hard, you'll be punished too!"

"Is that Xu Xian's voice?" Although it wasn't very clear, Lu Xinyu could roughly recognize it as Xu Xian's voice: "What's the problem?"

"The flight data recorder has been smashed and is probably unusable. However, the voice recorder is less damaged. The technicians on the investigation team have already extracted some voice data, including the part I just played," the assistant said.

Cao Jinwen was also confused about what was wrong with the recording: "So... what's wrong with this recording? Isn't this just a normal chat?"

"In this recording, Xu Xian mentioned that he was not used to operating with his left hand, so the investigation team began to suspect that there might be a mistake in Xu Xian's operation. They began to investigate Xu Xian's flight training and inspection records after he switched to the left seat, as well as QAR records."

Before the assistant could finish speaking, Cao Jinwen's temper flared: "What kind of bullshit logic is this? Anyone who's been flying on the right for years, always with their right hand on the wheel, suddenly switching to the left and using their left hand will find it a bit difficult to adjust. Isn't that normal? Isn't the purpose of left-handed piloting to give pilots an adjustment period? Just because Xu Xian mentioned he wasn't used to flying with his left hand, is that used as a starting point for accusing the crew of pilot error? What kind of utterly absurd logic is this?"

"Captain Cao, don't be anxious. They only have reasonable suspicions and are investigating carefully. They haven't reached a conclusion yet," the assistant said. "However, during the period of accumulating left-seat flight data, Xu Xian's QAR data was indeed not very good."

"So what if it doesn't look good? As long as it doesn't exceed the standard, can you use that to question Xu Xian's skill level?" Cao Jinwen glared and shouted.

When accumulating experience flying in the left seat, QAR warnings are a point that requires considerable attention, as they reflect numerous issues related to flight safety and quality. A pilot with few QAR warnings is not necessarily a good pilot, but a pilot with many QAR warnings likely does have some problems in some area.

While Xu Xian's QAR data was indeed slightly below average during his flight in the left seat, it remained below the standard and within compliance. Cao Jinwen felt that there was no reason to question Xu Xian's skill level based on this; it was unreasonable.

"Captain Cao, don't get so worked up with me! The people on the bureau's side are all reasonable. Xu Xian's QAR data, while not exactly impressive, still meets the requirements, so it certainly won't become a handle against him. But the outside world is making a huge fuss, and this matter is quite sensitive. Outsiders don't understand the inside story and will make inferences based on their own imagination and knowledge. We need to keep the cabin sound and QAR information under wraps and not let outsiders know," the assistant said. "Otherwise, people will make all sorts of guesses based on this, and the public opinion will be skewed."

"Who else knows about these things besides you?" Lu Xinyu suddenly asked.

"The investigation team has been in contact with our safety supervision and flight department. Mr. Lu, if you feel it's necessary to keep this confidential, you should talk to Safety Director Chen Fei," the assistant suggested.

The Safety Supervision Department is a large and complex department. Lu Xinyu might not be able to get through to just one department. He would have to go directly to Chen Fei, the Safety Director of the Safety Supervision System. Only if Chen Fei spoke up could the Safety Supervision Department implement the directives thoroughly.

The Flight Department is their own territory, and Lu Xinyu's word is law. He's fairly confident he can keep things quiet within the Flight Department. As long as the Flight Department and the Safety Supervision Department are on good terms, there won't be any rumors.

"Alright, things are getting out of hand right now, so it's best not to let these unfounded speculations get out." Lu Xinyu thought it best to be cautious for now. "I just spoke with Captain Cao and told him to notify the fleet. Now it seems it's not just the fleet. The flight standards, aircraft data, and quality center also need to be notified. Xiao Wang, have the heads of these departments come to my office for a meeting later. I'll speak with them personally. Also, check with General Manager Chen Fei's assistant and see if he's free today. If so, make arrangements for me, and I'll talk to him."

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away." The assistant nodded, accepted Lu Xinyu's instructions, and prepared to carry out the task.

"Old Cao, you go too." Lu Xinyu waved to Cao Jinwen, signaling for the two of them to leave first.

Lu Xinyu has been exhausted these past few days and really wants some peace and quiet.

"Then, Mr. Lu, I'll go take care of my business first." As soon as Cao Jinwen saw Lu Xinyu rubbing his temples, he knew that Lu Xinyu was probably not able to hold on and wanted to rest. He immediately prepared to leave with his assistant.

Just as Cao Jinwen turned to leave, a person rushed in from outside the door in a great hurry. It was Zhao Xin, the general manager of the security department.

As soon as Zhao Xin entered and saw Lu Xinyu, he immediately started yelling, "Lu Xinyu, is your flight department a broken-down basket? Full of holes? Did your flight department leak the information about Xu Xian's cockpit voice and QAR? Now the entrance is full of reporters, my men are about to be overwhelmed, what are you going to do about it?!"

"Cockpit sound and QAR?" Lu Xinyu was taken aback. He had only just learned about this himself; how did the reporters manage to sniff it out and come here? Thinking this, Lu Xinyu instinctively turned his gaze to his assistant.

The assistant shook his head hurriedly, indicating that he didn't know what had happened either.

There's no time to dwell on why the reporters are so well-informed. We're being blocked at the door, and we can't just let this stalemate continue; otherwise, it'll really look bad.

So, Lu Xinyu decided to go down and take a look first, and try to answer a few innocuous questions to give the reporters an explanation and hopefully get away with it.

"Old Zhao, come down with me and take a look." Lu Xinyu tightened his loose tie slightly, then pulled Zhao Xin out of the office, leaving Cao Jinwen and his assistant looking worried.

On the way, Lu Xinyu kept asking Zhao Xin about the specifics: "What about the vehicle support for entering and exiting the venue?"

"I've already spoken to Old Zhang from the vehicle team. Now, the vehicles supporting the flight crew are all using the side gate to avoid being intercepted by reporters. It's not rush hour now, so the situation is still manageable. But after a while, when everyone's off work! There are so many people in the company, and with so many people talking, it'll be difficult to handle." Zhao Xin said worriedly, "Ever since that Xu Xian came, reporters have been coming to the company every few days, and they've been gathering crowds to block the entrance more than once or twice. I'm the one who has to take responsibility for it all. What does this mean?"

It's clear that Zhao Xin has a very strong opinion against Xu Xian.

There was nothing they could do; Xu Xian was just too much of a troublemaker, and in the end, it was the security department that suffered the most.

"Old Zhao, it just shows you don't understand Xu Xian. Even if our Xingyou is gone, he'll still be fine," Lu Xinyu sneered.

Zhao Xin scoffed, "I don't understand. Even if he flies well, so what? At the end of the day, he's just a pilot. Can his energy possibly reach the heavens? Does he own Star Travel? And now that Star Travel is gone, he's perfectly fine!"

"Forget it, just think of it that way." Lu Xinyu didn't want to say more to Zhao Xin. His relationship with Zhao Xin wasn't that close, so there was no need to tell Zhao Xin everything.

However, Lu Xinyu's thoughts were quickly interrupted by a commotion coming from not far away. Before he even reached the gate, a dense crowd of reporters broke through the guards' blockade and surged forward, their momentum like that of a thousand troops.

Seeing the dark mass of people rushing towards him, even Lu Xinyu felt a chill run down his spine. Suddenly, he turned his head and discovered that Zhao Xin had run away without him noticing, leaving him alone.

Because Lu Xinyu was a beat too slow to react, he was surrounded by reporters who rushed over.

Lu Xinyu is the general manager of the flight department. These reporters had already gathered information, and the moment they saw Lu Xinyu, they were like sharks smelling blood, layer upon layer, circle upon circle, practically airtight.

Lu Xinyu had never seen anything like this before; all he could hear were the reporters' questions.

"Mr. Lu, Xu Xian mentioned that he wasn't used to operating the controls with his left hand. Could this be the reason why Xu Xian had problems with the landing controls?"

"Xu Xian's QAR warning indicates that he has been performing poorly since he switched to the left seat. Has Star Travel taken any measures in response?"

"The weather reports for Qiancheng Airport at the time indicated good weather conditions, yet rumors of mechanical failure persist. Does this mean the cause was most likely human error?"

"During Xu Xian's promotion to captain, all inspections and training were conducted with the highest priority. Was there any unfair treatment by Star Travel Airlines? Did Xu Xian enjoy special privileges at Star Travel Airlines?"

"During the various inspections of Xu Xian, will Star Travel Airlines go easy on him and fail to adhere to normal evaluation standards?"

"We just met a woman outside who was advocating for her rights. She claimed that her husband, a captain for Star Travel, had his arm broken by Xu Xian. Is that true?"

The barrage of questions sent a chill down Lu Xinyu's spine. He had no idea where the reporter had gotten the information, even knowing about the priority arrangements Xu Xian received when he was promoted to captain. This should be inside information, and it wasn't something that had just happened recently. How could these reporters know all this?

As for the woman who was defending her rights that the reporter encountered, it goes without saying that she is Cheng Jingdong's wife. As for the incident of Xu Xian breaking Cheng Jingdong's arm, it seems that it did happen, but as for the actual reason, Li Chuan, who was present at the time, remained tight-lipped, and even Cheng Jingdong himself has been very secretive about it.

Lu Xinyu had originally planned to pick a few easy questions to answer, but after listening to all of them, he found they were all deadly questions, and he had no idea how to answer them.

Just when Lu Xinyu was at his wit's end, his cell phone in his pocket started vibrating.

Lu Xinyu took out his phone and saw that it was a staff member from Xingyou Airlines stationed at Qiancheng Hospital. This staff member was specifically responsible for reporting the situation of the injured at Qiancheng Hospital to Lu Xinyu in a timely manner.

This time it wasn't a phone call, but a voice call. Surrounded by reporters, Lu Xinyu was so flustered that, in a moment of confusion, he accidentally pressed the answer button.

The voice call switched to speakerphone mode the instant it was answered, without detecting that a person's ear was close to the earpiece, so the staff member's voice could be heard immediately.

"President Lu, Xu Xian is awake!"

Ning Sheng was previously written as Lin Sheng, but it has been corrected.

(End of this chapter)