Legendary Captain

Chapter 339 Crisis! Engine Overheating!

"There's another way?" Tang Jian asked in surprise, "What other way?"

Lian Shanxue raised her gaze slightly, finally fixing it on the EEC switch: "We'll activate the EEC hard standby mode!"

"No! Absolutely not! Don't you know what enabling EEC hard backup mode means? How can you use EEC hard backup mode under single-engine conditions?" Tang Jian could hardly believe his ears: "Hard backup mode? Impossible, absolutely impossible! I disagree!"

Tang Jian and Lian Shanxue did not press the intercom button while speaking, so their conversation remained undetected by Star Travel's operations control and tower command center. It became a private conversation within the cockpit!

"Then what other ideas do you have? Tell me!" Lian Shanxue asked, squinting her eyes.

Tang Jian was taken aback, unable to utter a word for a long time: "We can keep circling until we've used up enough fuel, we can even lower the landing gear and pull up the speed brakes to accelerate fuel consumption. As long as the plane is lighter, we might have enough power to accelerate."

"What about the restricted area?" Lian Shanxue demanded.

"I can't even save my own life, so why should I care about entering the restricted area? At worst, I'll quit this line of work. But I want to save my life," Tang Jian roared.

When he asked the control tower to temporarily open the restricted area and received no response, he knew there was probably something extraordinary beneath that area. If his plane accidentally wandered in, regardless of the reason, he'd probably have to say goodbye to flying for the rest of his life.

However, it's no longer a question of whether or not to ban certain areas; it's a matter of life and death, and survival is the top priority.

Since the aircraft's power is currently insufficient for acceleration, the speed brakes are engaged, the landing gear is lowered, and fuel is continuously consumed. Once the aircraft's weight is reduced, it will naturally have enough power to accelerate. Whether or not it enters restricted areas is no longer a concern.

"Lower the landing gear, pull the speed brakes? You must be tired of dying already," Lian Shanxue sneered. Tang Jian had clearly lost his mind; he was even saying such absurd things as "pull the speed brakes" and "lower the landing gear." This was not something a captain should say.

Admittedly, deploying speed brakes or lowering landing gear would increase fuel consumption, but this would undoubtedly increase drag. Maintaining altitude and speed under the maximum thrust of engine number two is already extremely difficult. If the speed brakes were deployed or the landing gear lowered, would the aircraft still be able to maintain altitude, or wouldn't it start to descend?

They're only a mere thousand feet high, how could they possibly fall? Isn't that suicide?

After being mocked by Lian Shanxue, Tang Jian finally realized the foolish thing he had said. Pulling the speed brakes and lowering the landing gear was tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst—a suicidal act. However, Tang Jian still stubbornly insisted, "Just pretend I was wrong. Let's maintain this configuration and keep flying like this. What's wrong with wasting fuel and taking a little more time?"

He admitted that pulling the speed brakes or lowering the landing gear was a crazy, nonsensical thing to say in a moment of madness. Since it was wrong, he decided not to do it. He would just keep the current configuration and keep circling in the air. The plane would still consume fuel, and once enough fuel was used up, the power would naturally be sufficient. The only difference was that it would take a little longer.

Anyway, Tang Jian had already made up his mind. He didn't care about the consequences of trespassing into the restricted area. He would just stay put, burn off fuel, and once the plane's weight decreased, everything would be fine.

But is it really as Tang Jian thought, that if the problem of the restricted area is ignored, he will have enough time to waste?

"Have you considered that if the engine detachment damages the leading edge of the aircraft wing, it might affect the strength of the entire left wing? What makes you think you have enough time to burn off the fuel?" Lian Shanxue's voice wasn't loud, but it was deafening, and every word struck Tang Jian's heart.

If the engine detached and damaged the leading edge of the aircraft wing, causing damage to the leading edge flaps, doesn't that mean that the left wing has already suffered structural damage? It's just that the damage is currently limited to the leading edge of the wing and hasn't spread yet, but who can guarantee that the damage won't expand over time?

If the damage extends from the leading edge of the wing to the entire left wing, then even a miracle won't be able to save the aircraft if one side of the wing is damaged.

Even without an engine, the aircraft can still glide using its wings. But if the wings break off, what good is the engine, anyway?

Tang Jian was rendered speechless by Lian Shanxue's rebuttal, but he still couldn't accept using the EEC hard backup mode: "Don't you know what activating the EEC hard backup mode means? It means we've cut off our own escape route. Five minutes, at most five minutes! With the EEC hard backup mode activated, we have at most five minutes left. Can you guarantee we'll fall?"

EEC, or Engine Electronic Control Components, normally provides overspeed protection for N1 and N2, as well as overheat protection for EGT. However, when switched to EEC hard standby mode, while overspeed protection for N1 and N2 is still provided, overheat protection for EGT is lost, putting the engine at risk of overheating.

Under normal circumstances, switching to EEC hard standby mode has little impact. This is because the engine doesn't typically use its maximum thrust. At low thrust, even without overheat protection, engine overheating is unlikely.

However, in the current single-engine configuration, engine number two has been operating at high thrust for an extended period, and is now operating at its maximum thrust. Under these conditions, if the EEC hard standby mode is selected, the engine loses its overheat protection. Therefore, under maximum thrust, the only operating engine, number two, is at risk of overheating at any moment.

Engine overheating is extremely dangerous, and it has a memory effect. This means you can keep releasing the throttle until the engine stops overheating. Or, if you release the throttle completely and the engine is still overheating, you can simply cut off the engine start lever. This is what's known as "cutting off the engine."

However, under single-engine conditions, let alone cutting off the engine, even reducing the engine's thrust would be fatal.

Admittedly, in EEC hard standby mode, the engine's maximum thrust will be slightly increased. However, the price to pay for this extra power is too high, and Tang Jian cannot afford the risk.

He preferred circling to burn off fuel, which was the safest approach. As for the wing damage mentioned by Lian Shanxue, that was merely Xu Xian's wild guess and didn't count.

However, Tang Jian's insistence directly angered Lian Shanxue. Her eyebrows shot up slightly, like sharp swords pointing to the sky, carrying a resolute and ruthless air, as she sternly questioned, "If you're not confident in landing, then I can do it. Hesitating and indecisive, does a captain like you deserve my attention?"

"Damn it, in the end, whether it's damage to the leading edge of the wing or the risk of potential wing damage, it's all just Xu Xian's side of the story. Why should we assume he's right? What if he's wrong?" Tang Jian said frantically.

Lian Shanxue looked at Tang Jian's face and said firmly, "Even if the world is wrong, he will not be wrong."

Tang Jian had actually peeked at the left slat through the side window earlier. Just as Xu Xian had said, the left slat was already closed, and there was no indication on the leading edge indicator light.

However, he was not very impressed with Lian Shanxue's claim that damage to the leading edge of the wing could spread to the entire wing, at least not in the sense that trading hard standby mode for regaining control of the aircraft was not worth it.

This is a major point of contention. Lian Shanxue believes that the damage to the wing's leading edge could potentially spread, and if it does, there's no way to save it. Therefore, they must risk using a hard standby mode to regain control of the aircraft and land as quickly as possible. Tang Jian, on the other hand, believes that even if the wing's leading edge is damaged, it doesn't mean the entire wing will be affected. There's not that much time to lose, and they can use a more conservative approach of circling and wasting fuel to regain control of the aircraft in a gentler way.

This is a difference in ideology, a difference in expectations of future dangers! And it's irreconcilable! In fact, from a completely rational perspective, Lian Shanxue's idea is relatively more correct.

Whether damage to the wing's leading edge will affect the entire wing is a question no one can answer definitively. It might, it might not.

However, if damage to the leading edge of the wing spreads to the entire wing, it's a certain death sentence; no one can save it. This is because the aircraft's lift actually comes from the wing, not the engine. Of course, if the engine's power is extremely high, it's not impossible for a powerful aircraft to fly like a brick.

Using the EEC hard standby mode does indeed increase the risk of engine overheating under current conditions. However, under normal circumstances, the engine should be able to last another five minutes. The aircraft is currently over Binjiang Airport, and five minutes is enough time to complete a short takeoff and landing, although there may only be one chance. Nevertheless, there is still a chance to maneuver, even if it is somewhat risky.

So, this all boils down to Tang Jian's lack of self-confidence.

If he believed he could land cleanly within five minutes, then all the risks would be manageable. However, the crucial point was that Tang saw he lacked confidence in achieving a clean and swift landing within five minutes. He preferred to place all his hopes on a long period of circling and waiting, ultimately landing with composure.

In order to save time, he no longer cared about entering the restricted area, or even whether the damage would affect the entire wing—or rather, he selectively ignored it. At least in his calculations, he believed the probability of an accident due to overall wing damage was lower than the probability of an accident due to activating the EEC hard standby mode. Of course, this was merely his opinion.

At this moment, a very serious disagreement arose between the two people in the cockpit.

At this moment, Lian Shanxue let out a long breath and said in an extremely calm tone, "Tang Jian, listen to me carefully! I, Lian Shanxue, have never entrusted my life to fate! We are currently over the airport, and completing a single-engine landing within five minutes is a testament to a captain's ability. If you cannot complete this, it demonstrates your incompetence, and you are not worthy of being a captain!"

Tang Jian's approach was to leave the safety of the crew and passengers to fate. The probability of the entire wing being damaged was indeed very small, but it was completely beyond his control.

Lian Shanxue's approach may seem risky at first glance, but as long as the crew's skills are good enough, there is no risk involved.

Ultimately, it all comes down to skill level!

Lian Shanxue cut to the chase, directly addressing Tang Jian's qualifications, leaving Tang Jian utterly humiliated. A deep silence fell over the cockpit.

At this point, the Star Travel Control Center was still not receiving feedback from the cockpit, and some people seemed quite anxious, as they did not know what the current situation of the aircraft was.

One of the staff members suddenly said, "President Ning, I was just thinking, if the crew is supposed to descend the plane, could they also increase the speed? That way, they could retract the flaps, right? Is the problem really that difficult to solve?"

Trading altitude for speed is a fairly common technique, which involves designing the conversion of kinetic and potential energy. At first glance, it seems reasonable and even feasible. However, as soon as this was said, everyone in the operations control center looked at this person as if they were an idiot.

"What's wrong?" The man noticed the gazes of those around him and immediately felt as if he had said something wrong.

At this moment, Ning Sheng was already frustrated by the lack of response from the cockpit, and this person's thoughtless statement only made him more irritable. He turned and looked directly at the man: "Do you know what the minimum safe altitude is at Binjiang Airport?"

"Huh? I...I don't know." This operations control person only knew a little about flying, how could he know the minimum safe altitude of Binjiang Airport?

"It's three thousand feet, three thousand feet! How high is Flight 6334? One thousand feet! Do you understand what that means? It means there's a constant possibility of them being unable to clear the obstacle." Ning Sheng stared at the man: "They're already at such a dangerous altitude, and you still want them to descend? What's the difference between that and suicide?"

Actually, Ning Sheng's first statement was somewhat exaggerated. The so-called minimum safe altitude refers to the altitude at which an aircraft can safely clear obstacles within a certain area of ​​the airport. If the altitude is lower than this, then safe obstacle clearance cannot be guaranteed.

Indeed, Flight 6334 is currently at a very low altitude, posing a considerable risk of collision. However, since the locations of all tall obstacles are marked on the airport map, the crew can take evasive action even if they are below the minimum safe altitude. At least at Flight 6334's current location, there are no tall obstacles, while most tall obstacles near the airport are concentrated on the opposite side of Flight 6334.

Therefore, strictly speaking, if Flight 6334 had maintained an altitude of 1,000 feet, the risk of obstacle crossing would have been minimal. Otherwise, the cockpit wouldn't have been arguing about whether to activate hard standby mode.

However, maintaining altitude means the danger is not great, but it doesn't mean you can descend. One thousand feet is about three hundred meters, and buildings taller than three hundred meters are rare. But what about lower altitudes? Buildings one or two hundred meters tall increase exponentially, and these kinds of buildings are no longer marked on flight charts; the crew has to avoid them on their own.

Once the descent exceeds 1,000 feet, there will be obstacles everywhere below, leaving the crew with virtually no room to maneuver or increase speed.

If flight 6334 were a thousand feet higher, this method might have a slight chance of being feasible, but flight 6334 is already too low, so low that it can't descend any further.

Moreover, there is an even more important reason.

"You know that flaps one and five are mainly for increasing lift, right?" Ning Sheng suddenly said, "So when flaps one and five are deployed, the nose of the aircraft will briefly pitch upwards."

The staff member nodded: "I know that."

Flaps one and five primarily increase lift, while subsequent flaps increase drag while also increasing lift.

"Didn't you consider that retracting the flaps, without increasing power, would cause a brief, uncontrollable nose-down phenomenon? Do you know how dangerous that is at extremely low altitudes?" Ning Sheng stared at the man and said, "Furthermore, in single-engine mode, the aircraft's controllability is already limited. If it really starts to decrease in speed and then detects danger, they might not be able to maneuver to avoid it. So, do you understand how ridiculous your suggestion of decreasing speed is?"

In a single-engine configuration, the aircraft's bank angle and rate of climb are limited. This means that there are often subtle differences between the aircraft's condition and the crew's operation. The aircraft cannot simply fly however the crew wants it to.

This subtle difference can be fatal in ultra-low-altitude environments. If the crew risks descending and increasing speed, but then finds it impossible to continue, the aircraft's reaction may be slightly delayed compared to the crew's actions when they try to return. This is unacceptable in ultra-low-altitude environments where obstacles abound.

Decreasing the growth rate is an extremely simple and conceivable method. Why hasn't anyone proposed it? Because it's a method riddled with flaws that makes it fundamentally unworkable.

In the control tower frequency of Binjiang Airport, there is Xu Xian, the crew of flight 6334, the control tower, and Xingyou's operations control center. Why wouldn't so many people think of such a simple method? No one said so because this method was destined to fail, and saying it would only make them lose face.

Everyone is now waiting for the crew's response and decision!

Inside the cockpit, Tang Jian was in a state of internal struggle, but Lian Shanxue had no time to waste. Every minute that passed increased their danger, and they had to make a decisive decision.

Lian Shanxue asked again in an unquestionable tone, "I'm asking you one last time, can you land?"

In Lian Shanxue's view, landing a single engine within five minutes is not an unreasonable requirement for a captain. If Tang Jian is unwilling or afraid to land, then his ability is not worthy of the position of captain.

Rationally speaking, Lian Shanxue's method was the best, as it minimized the risk rather than relying entirely on fate. However, at this juncture, under such pressure, Tang Jian had no confidence that he could land this single shot on the first try.

Tang Jian didn't say anything, but in fact he had already said everything!

"I understand!" Lian Shanxue, who had already figured everything out, showed an unprecedented determination on her face. She pressed the speak button and calmly said, "We are about to activate the EEC hard standby mode to accelerate the flap retraction. Binjiang Airport, prepare to receive us. We are returning to land."

As she spoke, Lian Shanxue switched to the internal intercom and contacted the flight crew: "The plane will be making an emergency landing within five minutes. Announce the impact preparedness. Also, evacuate on my command!"

"Emergency landing!" The third flight attendant next to the chief flight attendant was stunned: "Ma'am, did I hear that right? The plane is going to make an emergency landing?"

"You heard me right!" The flight attendant took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and instructed the third flight attendant, "Contact the rear cabin and read the stun evacuation procedure to the passengers. Also, mentally rehearse the evacuation procedure beforehand."

Passengers on an airplane are unaware of what the shock posture is, so flight attendants need to explain it to them. Furthermore, aircraft evacuation follows a set procedure, and the flight crew is responsible for overseeing the evacuation. Since real evacuations are quite rare, the purser needs to have the flight attendants review the evacuation process beforehand to avoid any mental blanks during the evacuation.

The flight attendant on flight number three was still reeling from the impending emergency landing.

However, the flight attendant just glared at her and said, "What do you mean 'sis'? The cockpit isn't panicking, why are you? Get back to work!"

Flight attendant number three, snapped to her senses after the chief flight attendant's reprimand. She took a deep breath, calmed her wildly beating heart, and nodded firmly: "Understood, sis!"

At the Star Travel Control Center, everyone was taken aback when they heard Lian Shanxue say she was going to activate the EEC hard standby mode. One person, not understanding what EEC hard standby mode was, could only ask the person next to them, "What does the crew mean?"

The person next to him explained, "You can think of EEC hard standby mode simply as removing the engine's operating limits, but slightly increasing the engine's upper limit and adding extra thrust."

"Isn't it great to be able to add extra thrust?" The problem now boils down to insufficient engine power. If we can increase thrust, wouldn't speed increase be a natural progression?

"But removing the engine's operating restrictions could easily lead to problems, such as engine overheating. It's a risky move," someone nearby sighed.

Ning Sheng's expression was uncertain. He pressed the speaking button directly: "Where's the captain? Does the captain agree?"

Regardless, all decisions on an airplane are made by the captain. If the captain deems a method feasible, then the captain's decision will be respected.

However, Lian Shanxue replied to Ning Sheng: "Now that the captain feels inadequate, I will take over the piloting duties, and I will bear primary responsibility for everything that happens next."

Ning Sheng's eyes widened upon hearing this. Why did this scene seem so familiar? Did Star Travel Airlines always have a tradition of the underdog overthrowing the superior?

In the Kunyang River emergency landing incident, didn't Xu Xian bypass the captain and take direct control of the aircraft? Now this scene is playing out again?

Meanwhile, Xu Xian, on the Huining control tower, felt a slight unease and said to Lian Shanxue, "If you were to activate the hard backup mode, you might only have a few minutes left. Are you confident?"

"It's alright!" Lian Shanxue's voice was incredibly calm, as if nothing could shake her in the slightest.

"Once you retract the flaps, you can't lower them again. Be prepared to land with all flaps retracted," Xu Xian reminded her. Landing with all flaps retracted results in a very high approach speed, unlike a normal landing, so Xu Xian felt it necessary to remind Lian Shanxue. As for Lian Shanxue directly bypassing the captain to control the aircraft, Xu Xian had done it before and didn't see anything wrong with it.

The captain does have the final say on the aircraft, but when the captain is no longer capable of handling the situation, should the entire plane and all its crew be forced to perish with him?

"I know," Lian Shanxue replied succinctly, and then told the airport control tower, "Tower, prepare for takeover."

In the control tower, Xu Jingzhong suddenly stood up, waved his hand to let Gu Wei answer Lian Shanxue first, and then made a call to the emergency command center: "The plane is about to make an emergency landing at this airport. Please prepare ground support as soon as possible."

After explaining everything, Lian Shanxue composed herself and glanced at Tang Jian on her left: "Can you get things done?"

Tang Jian remained silent for a moment, then finally sighed, "Give the order!"

"Good!" A resolute light flashed in Lian Shanxue's eyes: "EEC hard standby mode!"

"EEC Hard Backup Mode!" Tang Jian confirmed, then stood up slightly. The EEC panel was on the rear overhead panel, requiring him to stand up a little. After Tang Jian pressed the EEC Hard Backup button, the engine seemed to unlock some kind of comfort, the rumble intensified, and the thrust exceeded its limit in a short time, increasing again.

With the addition of extra power, the aircraft, which was already in a critical state, finally began to accelerate.

As the speed increased, a look of relief finally appeared on Tang Jian's face: "V2+15!"

Upon reaching the initial flap retraction speed, Lian Shanxue gave the order: "Retract the flaps by one point!"

When the flaps retracted to position one, the right leading edge device also retracted slightly. As a result, the previously uncontrollable left turn was significantly reduced, and the deflection was greatly decreased.

"It really was a problem with the leading edge device!" Lian Shanxue was overjoyed. Just now, retracting the flaps significantly reduced the deflection; it was effective. Xu Xian was right!

Seeing that this was effective, Tang Jian was greatly encouraged: "Flaps—maneuverability!"

"Fold in the flaps!"

As the aircraft's speed increased, the flaps began to retract as planned, and once fully retracted, the deflection disappeared completely. At this point, the aircraft was simply in a single-engine state, without any of the uncontrollable factors that had occurred previously.

Once the aircraft is under control, the only remaining option is to land it as quickly as possible.

While it's generally true that an engine can sustain high thrust for about five minutes under EEC hard standby mode, this is just an estimate. It might last five minutes, ten minutes, or it might overheat in the next second; there's no absolute certainty. Therefore, it's still best to get things done as soon as possible.

After eliminating the uncontrollable factors of the aircraft, Lian Shanxue immediately contacted the control tower: "Tower, the aircraft is now under control. Continue to turn left and land on runway 20."

The plane is currently flying roughly southeast. They can turn left to use runway 20 or right to use runway 02. The wind speed today is only one meter, so both runways are usable and meet the landing wind speed standards.

However, Lian Shanxue still prefers to land against the wind, so she decided to turn left and land on runway 20.

"Okay, ground support is on its way. Runway 20 is cleared. 6334, you can land on your own," said Gu Wei, the tower commander.

"Okay!" Lian Shanxue responded, "Tang Jian, quickly go through the engine fire alarm, serious damage or detachment checklist, post-takeoff checklist, and single-engine landing checklist."

Although the situation is urgent, it's best to complete the checklist if possible. There's no need to be as meticulous as usual; speed is fine. Tang Jian is the captain; he knows the checklist by heart and will complete it very quickly!

Before Lian Shanxue could finish speaking, she suddenly glanced at the engine data displayed on the DU system, and her pupils contracted sharply!

The EGT of engine number two began to fluctuate violently, and then slowly rose during the fluctuations, which was a sign that it was about to overheat!

"How could it be so fast?" Lian Shanxue's face was filled with shock!

I interpreted everyone's eagerness to send me razor blades and other local specialties as a form of affirmation. After all, if my writing wasn't very good, no one would want to send me razor blades, right?

Seeing everyone so anxious, even to the point of wanting to tear me to pieces, I feel very gratified.

(End of this chapter)