Legendary Captain

Chapter 343 Man-Made Disaster (Part 1)

The L/A project is an abbreviation for Laser/Attack, a laser weapon technology. Today, the practical application of high-energy laser weapons is no longer confined to science fiction but is a real future trend.

Due to the unparalleled speed of light, laser weapons can achieve pinpoint accuracy with virtually no delay, giving them inherently superior precision. Furthermore, while missiles in the modern weapon family are susceptible to electromagnetic interference, laser weapons do not suffer from this problem. Moreover, laser weapons are significantly smaller and lighter than conventional weapons, making them easier to carry and offering considerable potential for greater battlefield flexibility.

Of course, laser weapons are not without their flaws. No matter how concentrated the energy of a laser is, it is still a type of light, and lasers possess all the characteristics of light.

The biggest problem with laser weapons is that they cannot operate in all weather conditions. Under certain special weather conditions, such as heavy fog, heavy snow, and heavy rain, the performance of laser weapons will be affected. Moreover, the atmosphere itself will absorb laser energy, and energy attenuation caused by atmospheric disturbance, thermal coma effect, turbulence, and attenuation caused by beam jitter will all affect the final attack effect of the laser weapon.

Of course, these are all objective environmental factors. The biggest limitation on laser weapons, however, lies in the lack of breakthroughs in high-energy battery technology for storing high-energy laser energy.

The laser weapon's firing system itself isn't particularly complex; the complexity lies in the methods for storing laser energy. However, this crucial high-energy battery technology was recently mastered by the Second Research Institute of High Energy Laser Applications in the South.

Once high-energy battery technology is mastered, weaponized laser weapons will no longer be a distant dream.

As the latest type of offensive weapon, it naturally needs to be paired with the most advanced platform. The C-42, China's most advanced fighter jet, which is about to enter mass production, is undoubtedly the best platform.

Ying Ruoqing, the L/A project leader from the Second Laser Institute, came here to discuss the compatibility between laser weapons and the C42 with Ye Qing, the chief designer of the C42.

"I heard that Ying Ruoqing is not even thirty years old. It's unbelievable, she's too young," Li Cheng exclaimed.

In northern China, there is a high-energy laser application research institute, which was originally the leading institution in laser application technology research in the country. Among its key projects was the research on the weaponization of laser technology. However, due to the persistent inability to overcome the high-energy battery technology barrier, the progress of the laser weapons project once stalled.

However, five or six years ago, the Institute of High Energy Laser Applications in the north established a branch in the south, namely the Second Institute of High Energy Laser Applications.

Three years ago, a young woman named Ying Ruoqing joined the Second Research Institute in the south. After that, she rose through the ranks at a meteoric pace, eventually becoming the head of the L/A project. When many questioned how Ying Ruoqing, at such a young age, could be appointed to the position of head of the L/A project, she announced that high-energy battery technology had been successfully developed. For a time, the Second Research Institute of High-Energy Laser Applications even surpassed the headquarters' First Research Institute in terms of popularity.

After this victory, Ying Ruoqing firmly established herself in the domestic laser application field, and no one questioned her anymore.

Wang Chenchen echoed this sentiment, saying, "We're all getting old. The young people these days are so amazing, we're about to be swept away by their waves."

"Good thing it's on the beach! It means there's a successor," Li Cheng laughed. "By the way, once Xu Xian passes the recruit entrance exam, he can receive training on other aircraft types. What if this kid wants to learn the C-14 or C-18? Don't even mention here, there aren't any C-14 or C-18 instructors in the entire Western Air Force!"

The C-14 and C-18 are both carrier-based aircraft, practically the exclusive vehicles of the naval aviation force. It's not that no one here knows how to fly these two aircraft, but knowing how to fly and knowing how to teach are two different things.

"If he really wants to learn C14 and C18, then he'll have to go to the Navy." Wang Chenchen sighed. "Those people in the Navy have been quite arrogant lately. I wonder if Xu Xian can adapt to that."

In recent years, the country has vigorously developed its navy. The navy, which had suffered a lot of humiliation in the past, has recently been able to hold its head high. Warships are being built at a rapid pace, with all kinds of new warships emerging one after another. Even aircraft carriers, which were once out of reach, are now in service with the navy.

With such a vigorous development momentum, the people in the navy must be walking with their heads held high.

"If Xu Xian really wants to learn C14 or C18 later, we'll explain the situation to him. If he still insists, there's nothing we can do," Li Cheng said.

The Air Force is practically one of their own, but the Navy has absolutely no connection to the Luoyang Aircraft Fleet, so they don't care about saving face. With Xu Xian's arrogant nature, he might just get humiliated by the Navy.

"That's for later. Let's get his new recruit assessment sorted out first."

Li Cheng nodded: "Go ahead and get busy. There's been a lot going on lately, so please take care of things."

Whether it's a joint tripartite exercise or receiving the laser weapon project leader from the Second Research Institute, both are demanding tasks, so Wang Chenchen needs to be prepared to endure hardship.

"It's all part of the job," Wang Chenchen said with a smile, then left the captain's office and went about her business.

In the office, Li Cheng tapped the table rhythmically, his eyes unfocused, lost in thought.

Binjiang Regulatory Bureau!

"I have to be investigated too? What does that have to do with me?" In a small room, two investigators from the Northeast Bureau stared at Xu Xian without blinking, which made Xu Xian very depressed.

Early this morning, Xu Xian was preparing to go out to check if the runway at Huining Airport had been cleared. His training plan had already been delayed, and he didn't want to wait any longer.

As soon as they left the dormitory, they were taken to the reception room by the security personnel. Waiting for them in the reception room were the two investigators from the Northeast Bureau.

The two men immediately claimed that they heard Xu Xian's voice during a radio call on the day the engine detached, and that they needed to take Xu Xian back for a routine investigation.

Xu Xian was speechless. He didn't think he had done anything wrong. He had just said a few words on the radio, and now he had to be investigated. Was it really necessary to make such a big deal out of nothing?

But since the Northeast Bureau had already come knocking on his door, it would be rather unreasonable for Xu Xian not to cooperate. Despite having many grievances in his heart, Xu Xian eventually went with the people from the Northeast Bureau to the nearest Binjiang Regulatory Bureau.

"We didn't say it had anything to do with you, so don't worry. It's just that you spoke on the radio. We're just conducting a routine investigation; it won't take long," one of the middle-aged men said with a smile.

Xu Xian rolled his eyes: "I never leave my name when I do good deeds."

"Haha, I know, I know, Mr. Xu is just being helpful." The middle-aged man laughed heartily. "We listened to the cockpit voice and radio recordings from the derailment incident. The reason Mr. Xu mentioned for the aircraft's uncommanded deflection was the retraction of the leading-edge device, which was confirmed by the technical department yesterday. Incisive and to the point, that perfectly describes Mr. Xu."

"Hmph!" Xu Xian curled his lip. "Did I come here just to hear your flattery?"

"Mr. Xu, please don't be angry. Let's just go through the motions." The middle-aged man beckoned to his young colleague, who immediately understood and took out a thin stack of documents from his bag, handing them to the middle-aged man: "This is what you said on the radio. We've already written it down. Take a look and see if there are any errors. If you have any objections or can't remember anything, we can retrieve the recording for comparison. Mr. Xu, please take a good look. As long as you confirm that this record is correct, we will seal this record in the case file."

"So it's just checking the audio content? I thought it was something more serious!" Xu Xian took the document and started flipping through it page by page. "The recordings are fine too, just put them here."

"Mr. Xu, are you going to compare it with the recording?" the middle-aged man asked.

Xu Xian smiled and said, "Although my memory is a little better, it's not as good as a machine. I'm more careful when I'm reading from a recording."

"Okay." The middle-aged man instructed the young man, "Go and get the recording."

The young man nodded and quickly left the room. Now only Xu Xian and the middle-aged man remained inside. While waiting, Xu Xian, with a hint of unease, asked curiously, "Has the cause of this incident been revealed?"

The middle-aged man said expressionlessly, "No comment."

"Tch! In the end, it'll all be announced anyway," Xu Xian scoffed. "Then let me ask something that doesn't need to be kept secret. Where are the crew? Are they here, or at the Northeast Regional Administration headquarters?"

"This?" The middle-aged man thought for a moment, and it seemed that there was nothing worth keeping secret. The crew had already completed the main investigation yesterday: "The entire crew has returned to Yunnan."

"Back to Yunnan? All of them?" Xu Xian was completely dumbfounded.

"Yes! All of them! We arranged their return flights ourselves, is there a problem?" the middle-aged man asked.

"No, no problem." Xu Xian waved his hand. "It's just a bit sudden."

Lian Shanxue returned to Yunnan without saying a word, barely even acknowledging him.

"Oh, right! The co-pilot, Lian Shanxue, asked me to give you something." With that, the middle-aged man took out a folded note from his pocket and handed it to Xu Xian.

Xu Xian took the note with a puzzled look, opened it, and read: "I've returned to Yunnan. Don't think about me, don't worry about me, don't miss me!"

The handwriting is extremely neat and elegant; it is clearly the handwriting of Lian Shanxue.

"What a fine 'don't think about it, don't worry about it, don't miss it'!" Xu Xian crumpled the note into a ball. "What on earth is she thinking? What did I do to offend her?"

Prior to this, when Xu Xian had a chance encounter with Lian Shanxue at the restaurant, Lian Shanxue's behavior had been rather abnormal. Now, she had returned to Yunnan without even saying goodbye, despite Xu Xian having provided assistance during the engine detachment incident. Of course, it couldn't be said that she left without saying goodbye; she had left a note. However, what was written on it was unacceptable to Xu Xian.

No matter how you look at it, it seems like Lian Shanxue is trying to distance herself from him!

But what was the reason for drawing a clear line? Xu Xian racked his brains but couldn't figure it out.

Just as Xu Xian was racking his brains without success, the middle-aged man opposite him suddenly said, "Mr. Xu has disappeared during this time. I didn't expect you to have joined the military aviation."

This was just an ordinary remark, but Xu Xian felt there was something more to it: "The bureau only suspended my commercial operation license, right? It can't affect the Air Force, can it?"

"No, no, Mr. Xu, you must have misunderstood. I wasn't questioning your operating qualifications. I was just wondering if you plan to stay in military aviation for a long time, or if you'll wait until the dust settles on that incident before returning to civil aviation."

Xu Xian frowned: "What do you mean?"

"Actually, based on my understanding of Mr. Xu, his technical skills are undoubtedly superb. I heard that Mr. Xu found another technical institution to repair the damaged flight recorder, but it will probably take quite a while. If Mr. Xu continues to wait like this, even if he proves his innocence in the future, there may not be a place for him in the civil aviation industry."

Xu Xian's mind worked quickly, and his gaze narrowed slightly: "It seems the bureau is quite satisfied with Lian Shanxiue's handling of this incident."

"Mr. Xu is still quick-witted!" The middle-aged man smiled. "It's all about timing and fate. I just feel a little sorry for Mr. Xu."

"What's the point of whether it's worth it or not? Besides, I wasn't interested in it at all. You're just overthinking it." Xu Xian looked up and saw that the young man who went to get the recording had returned. He then calmed down and stopped dwelling on what the middle-aged man had said.

Although Xu Xian sounded indifferent, only he knew whether he truly didn't care.

Seeing that Xu Xian's expression remained unchanged, the middle-aged man didn't continue the conversation. He moved the player the young man had brought over next to Xu Xian and said with a smile, "Mr. Xu, we can begin."

The comparison of the radio content was carried out very quickly. Xu Xian hadn't said much during the incident, and the comparison, word by word, took less than an hour.

After completing the content comparison, there was nothing else to do. Xu Xian had no interest in staying at the Binjiang Regulatory Bureau any longer and immediately wanted to return to Huining Airport.

The two investigators from the Northeast Bureau originally planned to escort Xu Xian back. However, Xu Xian refused. The Binjiang Regulatory Bureau wasn't far from Huining Airport, and walking back wouldn't take long. Besides, Xu Xian needed to make a phone call and was on his way back. It wouldn't be convenient if there were outsiders with him.

Moreover, Xu Xian's mind was a bit muddled, and he wanted to take a walk to clear his head.

After leaving the area under the jurisdiction of the Binjiang Regulatory Bureau, Xu Xian saw that there were not many people on the road, so he made a phone call to Xu Qing.

The call connected quickly, and Xu Xian immediately asked, "Uncle Qing, is there any news about the Lianshan matter?"

The night the engine detached, Xu Xian called Xu Qing. Even though Xu Qing has completely retired from civil aviation, he can still gather information from the Civil Aviation Administration.

"Don't worry, there were no casualties. This was handled very well." Xu Qing immediately assessed the situation for Xu Xian: "The only uncertainty now is what kind of reward the authorities will give the crew."

"Oh, I see! That's good." Xu Xian breathed a sigh of relief. Since Xu Qing dared to tell him this, it meant that there were no major problems with the crew's handling of the situation; Xu Qing never spoke without reason.

"However, just because the crew handled the situation well doesn't mean your company can rest easy. The cause of the engine detachment hasn't been found yet. If it turns out to be a maintenance problem at Xingyou Airlines, that would be a huge, catastrophic issue," Xu Qing stated bluntly. "Looking at the global civil aviation industry, there hasn't been an engine detachment incident in decades. Some foreign media outlets are already paying attention to this incident. If Xingyou Airlines has even the slightest problem with engine maintenance, it will be magnified infinitely. Do you understand what I mean?"

The fact that the crew handled the situation correctly is one thing, and that Star Travel Airlines was not at fault is another; the authorities have always made a clear distinction between the two. Moreover, civil aviation emergencies are inherently prone to attracting attention. Coupled with this once-in-seventy-years engine detachment emergency, even some foreign media outlets were drawn to it, making the matter quite significant.

What is now certain is that the crew performed exceptionally well in handling the emergency, and they deserve the reward. This has a significant impact on the individual crew member, and more precisely, on Lian Shanxue herself.

However, the crew's excellent handling of the situation could not mask the potential maintenance issues that might have caused the engine to detach. Xu Xian knew that if the engine detachment was indeed due to maintenance problems at Xingyou Aviation, the resulting damage would be far more than the crew's excellent handling could compensate for.

"I know, can you find out any progress in the investigation into the cause of the engine detachment?" Xu Xian asked.

Xu Qing sighed, "This is now a top secret. Apart from the core investigation team, no one can get relevant information before the bureau makes a public announcement."

"Is there absolutely no way to do it?"

"There's absolutely nothing we can do," Xu Qing said firmly. "The investigation into this incident, especially the investigation into the cause of the engine detachment, is being kept very confidential by the authorities. Don't even think about it anymore."

"I see!" Xu Xian understood the nature of the situation after Xu Qing had said this much: "Then I'll think of a solution myself."

"What other options do you have? Xu Xian, you're still under suspension from commercial flights, your identity is sensitive, don't get involved," Xu Qing advised.

Xu Xian didn't take it to heart: "I know what I'm doing."

"As long as you know what you're doing, I trust you on that." Xu Qing paused for a moment, then continued, "By the way, you're currently flying over Rong's residence, right? Are there any restrictions if I want to go visit her?"

"Huh? You're coming over?" Xu Xian hadn't expected Xu Qing to change the subject so quickly. "What's the problem?"

"What problem? What are you talking about? I just wanted to see you, is that not allowed?" Xu Qing was getting a little exasperated.

"No, no, Uncle Qing, don't be angry. Visiting is no problem. Just give me a time to come, and I'll enter your information into the visitor system beforehand and report it to the access control. Just remember to bring your ID card when you come." Xu Xian didn't think too much about it: "I'll send you the address in a bit."

"That's what you call being sensible." Xu Qing snorted. "I'll contact you again when I've decided when to go find that kid."

After saying that, he hung up the phone immediately, appearing extremely decisive and efficient.

"What?" Xu Xian asked, confused. "What's so interesting about two grown men? It's disgusting."

Putting away his phone, Xu Xian began to wonder who he should contact to get information.

Northeast Bureau of Aviation Safety Division.

In a room, Zeng Yu, who hadn't been seen for a long time, was reviewing various information compiled by the bureau over the past two days. The Northeast Bureau had specifically invited him here to investigate the cause of the engine detachment.

"Mr. Zeng, can you see anything?" the investigator asked.

"This is all just on paper; there's not much to see. Take me to the site later." Zeng Yu slightly raised his eyelids and glanced at the other person: "I heard the engine has already been transported back? We can go see the engine first."

The No. 1 engine that fell from Flight 6334, along with the scattered debris nearby, has been transported back to the Northeast Regional Administration by the authorities. However, the situation is more complicated with the plane parked at Huining Airport; it will require some effort to retrieve it. Fortunately, Huining Airport isn't too far away, so they can take Zeng Yu there to see the site.

"No problem, Mr. Zeng, please feel free to make any requests you may have," the investigator said with a smile.

As the most senior aircraft maintenance engineer in China, Zeng Yu's opinions are still very valuable.

"Have the mounting components at the engine nacelle interface been sent to the metallurgical department for testing?" Zeng Yu asked.

Sometimes, non-compliance of certain parts can lead to a catastrophic incident; such incidents are numerous. In this case, the fixing components at the engine interface definitely need to be sent for testing to see if they meet the standards. If the problem lies with the component itself, then the matter will be much easier to handle.

Who purchased it and who installed it makes the allocation of responsibility clear at a glance.

"It's already been sent over." The investigator remained quite polite to Zeng Yu: "Mr. Zeng, would you like to have some tea to catch your breath, or would you like to leave now?"

Zeng Yu had just gotten off the plane and came straight to the Northeast Bureau. The investigators were worried that Zeng Yu was too old and his body couldn't handle it, so they wondered if he should rest for a while first.

"No need, so many people are waiting for the results." Zeng Yu slowly stood up, preparing to examine the engine first. Suddenly, he caught sight of a photograph of an engine on a document, and his expression immediately showed a hint of doubt. He showed the engine photograph to the investigators and asked, "Is this the photograph of the engine that fell down?"

The investigator squinted and glanced at it: "Yes, that's the engine."

Zeng Yu glanced at the photo again, his brows furrowing deeply: "Where is that engine?"

"It's in the room at the end of the corridor." Seeing Zeng Yu's expression, the investigator's heart skipped a beat: "Mr. Zeng, what have you discovered?"

"Not really, there's just something a little strange about it." Zeng Yu's mind raced. "Let's go take a look."

"Okay!" The investigators understood the priorities and quickly got up to guide Zeng Yu to the room at the end of the corridor where the engine was located.

It was clear that Zeng Yu was somewhat anxious; he walked very fast, and the investigators couldn't keep up. In the end, Zeng Yu reached the door first.

Zeng Yu pointed to the room door: "This is the one?"

"That's right! Mr. Zeng, I'll open the door for you." The investigator jogged up, entered the password, and the door opened immediately.

Zeng Yu entered first, and what appeared before him was an extremely spacious room. In the middle of the room was a somewhat deformed engine. On a long table in one corner of the room, there were also many scattered parts.

As soon as Zeng Yu entered, he saw the engine and his pupils contracted slightly: "Why has the engine's support fallen down too?"

Sure enough, there was a gantry attached to the top of the engine, meaning that when the engine detached, it wasn't just the engine that fell down, but the gantry as well.

"What's the difference?" the investigator asked.

"Of course there's a difference!" Zeng Yu's expression was somewhat grim. "The pylon connects to the wing at the top and the engine at the bottom. The connection between the pylon and the wing only has three thick bolts, but they are extremely strong and normally won't cause any problems. However, there are hundreds of connection points between the pylon and the engine. Although there are more interfaces, the connection between the pylon and the engine is actually more prone to problems compared to the connection between the pylon and the wing."

"Why?" the investigator couldn't help but wonder. He was a flight technician, not an aircraft maintenance specialist. He knew how airplanes flew, but he wasn't very knowledgeable about some structural issues. According to common sense, shouldn't a setup with hundreds of joints be stronger than one with only three bolts? How could a setup with hundreds of joints be more prone to problems? This defies common sense!

Zeng Yu shook his head: "That's not how it's understood! You need to understand one thing: routine maintenance inevitably involves disassembly and reassembly. After continuous disassembly and reassembly, the robustness of certain structures will inevitably be affected. For extremely important structures, frequent disassembly is generally not recommended. The standard procedure for disassembling the engine is to only disconnect the connection between the pylon and the engine. The connection between the pylon and the wing remains untouched. Unless there's a quality problem with the connecting bolts, it's almost impossible for anything else to cause the pylon to separate. Have you found the pylon bolts?"

"Found it! Sent for testing." The bolts on the hanger are critical components and definitely need to be tested.

"You should quickly contact the metallurgical testing department and prioritize testing the bolts on the hanger. If the bolts themselves don't have any quality issues, then there's a big problem," Zeng Yu said worriedly.

"What do you mean? Mr. Zeng, do you have some leads?" the investigators exclaimed in surprise.

"There are some!" Zeng Yu adjusted his glasses. "What about the maintenance and support records from Xingyou?"

"They've all been sent over," the investigator said. "However, we've checked the aircraft's maintenance records for the past two years, and Star Travel has never disassembled the engines. That doesn't make sense!"

"Airlines themselves rarely disassemble engines, so it's normal that you can't find any disassembly records for Xingyou Aviation's engines," Zeng Yu said.

Unless an engine suffers severe damage requiring replacement, why would an airline bother replacing it? The process of disassembling, assembling, and testing an engine alone takes a significant amount of time. Who would want to mess around with that?

Under normal operating conditions and routine maintenance, the engines of commercial airliners generally do not require replacement. Routine maintenance does not involve disassembling the engine.

Zeng Yu squinted and said, "Most engine disassembly only occurs within a certain timeframe."

"When?"

Zeng Yu breathed a sigh of relief: "D-inspection!"

One more chapter

(End of this chapter)