Chapter 68 You Saved My Life
It was normal for the captain to not react in a short period of time. Not to mention that the captain was unprepared, even someone like Xu Cang who was slightly mentally prepared was caught off guard.
The aircraft's nearly out-of-control change produced a pitch attitude of nearly ten degrees in just a split second of reaction time, and there was no sign of stopping. If this situation continued, Xu Cang and his team would not only face tail scraping, but also .
However, no matter what, Xu Cang had made some preparations in advance, so his reaction speed was faster than the captain. It was this advance time of less than a quarter of a second that saved the entire crew.
"Push the pole!" Xu Cang shouted these two words with almost all his strength.
In fact, pushing the stick up during the initial climb is a very dangerous action, because a slightly rough action can easily cause the aircraft to have a rate of descent.
Regardless of the aircraft type , the most important requirement for the initial climb is obstacle clearance, and no aircraft type considers descent behavior during the initial climb phase to be acceptable.
However, the current situation no longer allows for so-called gentle control, and the only way to stop the abnormal nose-up phenomenon of the aircraft is to use the quickest means.
If Xu Cang was here, he would have already done it, but now he could only hope that the captain would react after his reminder. It was just a gamble, and even whether the captain could make the most accurate maneuver in this situation was not foreseeable.
However, God had favored Xu Cang for once, and the captain's reaction was very quick. Almost at the moment Xu Cang opened his mouth, the captain recovered from his shock.
Any qualified captain has been tempered through thousands of trials and tribulations, and after experiencing the initial helplessness, he finally began to react.
The initial push rod action was stopped, and the aircraft was stabilized with a small but precise push rod action. Although this push rod action is simple, it contains a lot of technical content.
In such a situation, the captain was required to stop the aircraft from climbing up and prevent the aircraft from descending. Even if no major problems occurred in the end, any descent rate during the initial climb phase would be recorded in the QAR, and the company's safety and supervision department would definitely invite him to have a drink afterwards.
It can only be said that the captain's response did not disappoint Xu Cang's expectations. This push rod directly and accurately pressed the aircraft's FPV signal display to the horizon, without any error.
To be honest, it is not that difficult to control this amount of control, and any normal pilot should be able to do it. However, the fact that he was able to react accurately in such a tight and sudden situation shows that this pilot has very good basic skills.
The crazy nose-up just now caused the already low speed to drop sharply, and at the most exaggerated moment, it had already reached the warning area. Fortunately, with this push on the stick, the speed of the plane suddenly increased, which stabilized the speed of the plane.
The guidance that had separated a lot began to match up again as the aircraft's attitude decreased, but after catching up with the guidance, the guidance began to instruct to increase the attitude, that is, to continue to pull up.
However, after the thrilling experience just now, even the calm captain felt a lingering fear and expressed strong hesitation about whether to follow the instructions.
Compared to the captain's hesitation, Xu Cang's idea was much simpler. No matter what, even if they had to return, they would definitely not be able to maintain their current posture. They would eventually rise, and this action of pulling the pole was inevitable.
However, although everything cannot be avoided, slight adjustments can be made to allay some of the captain's concerns.
"Set the thrust to N1 and adjust the speed to 170 knots!" Xu Cang shouted.
"What?" The first co-pilot obviously did not react to the deep meaning of Xu Cang's words, and was still thinking about the question in Xu Cang's words: "It's not even a thousand feet yet."
According to the SOP, the aircraft should start reducing thrust and increasing speed at 1,000 feet. However, the actual altitude is only over 700 feet, which is not even the minimum altitude for reducing thrust and increasing speed.
However, the captain's vision was not as narrow as the co-pilot's, and he understood Xu Cang's idea in an instant. In an instant, the captain was almost enlightened, and suddenly shouted: "Do it!"
The first co-pilot was startled by the captain's shout. He didn't trust Xu Cang, but he would trust the captain. Almost instinctively, the first co-pilot pressed the N1 button and adjusted the speed window to 170 knots.
The subtlety of Xu Cang's instruction was to reduce the increase in the guidance attitude. After pressing N1, the aircraft switched to reduced thrust. If there was an abnormal rise after a while, it would be relatively easier to control. Moreover, the speed of 170 knots was higher than the current speed. In this case, the aircraft would increase the speed first, and the guidance would not produce an excessive upward attitude.
In this way, the captain can test the condition of the aircraft with a small-scale method, and the reaction time will be sufficient, which is much safer.
In fact, Xu Cang could have asked the first officer to increase the speed to the UP speed of the smooth configuration in one step. However, there might be some unpredictable situations in the next short period of time. If the speed increases to more than V2+15 during this period, the crew must devote their energy to retracting the flaps. Even if theoretically, the flaps can be retracted later, because the maximum speed of flaps 5 is usually higher than UP, there is always the danger of overspeeding, and there is no need to take risks that can be avoided.
One hundred and seventy knots is a rather interesting number. It will not lead to the possibility of flap retraction, but it will also create a need to increase the speed, thereby reducing the climb rate, killing two birds with one stone.
Sure enough, after adjusting to a slightly higher speed, the flight guidance began to move slowly downward, and eventually formed an attitude difference of only more than one degree from the actual attitude of the aircraft.
It's a small and controlled change in posture.
In this way, the captain was relieved and lifted the plane at a gentle speed to a state consistent with the guidance. However, this lifting action did not cause any abnormal phenomenon, and the plane obediently followed the captain's action and slowly lifted its head, as if the violent movement not long ago did not exist.
"Is everything okay?" The captain felt a little relieved. After the speed increased to 170 knots, he followed the instructions and climbed for a while. There were no abnormalities, so he felt relieved.
After turning on the autopilot, the captain wiped the sweat from his forehead. In the short period of less than a minute, his heart almost stopped.
He turned around and glanced at Xu Cang: "Brother, you really saved my life!"
…
"So you're returning?" In the office of the general manager of the flight department, Lu Jinghua faced Xu Cang, with the captain on duty and the first co-pilot standing beside him: "Tell me, what do you think the problem is?"
Just now, the Jianchuan-Yingli flight had an abnormal nose-up phenomenon during takeoff and finally chose to return. The nearly out-of-control nose-up gave the captain a strong psychological shock. Not to mention that the plane itself had problems, even if there were no problems, the captain already felt that his mental state was not suitable for flying.
Regardless of the crew or the aircraft condition, returning is a safe option.
However, from the company's perspective, the plane's return is definitely not something to be thankful for, and according to the crew's own statement, plane 1566 will definitely not be able to fly for the time being. Blue Sky Airlines will have to deploy other aircraft to fill the capacity, and will also need to hire additional crew members.
Blue Sky Airlines' capacity is insufficient not only in terms of the number of aircraft but also the number of crew members. This unexpected return flight has caused considerable pressure on the company's operations.
But the captain has the final decision on the flight, and the company cannot do anything to the crew for the time being. In the end, they can only question Lu Jinghua.
"When I was initially pulling up, the amount of control on the control wheel didn't match the actual amount of lift generated by the aircraft." Even though a while had passed, the captain still felt a lingering fear when he recalled it: "Mr. Lu, I felt that the amount of control on the control column should be fine, but the actual lift rate of the aircraft was faster than I expected. This is obviously abnormal."
Lu Jinghua propped his forehead with his palm: "I feel like, what if it's a problem with your control?"
The captain said anxiously, "Mr. Lu, I can tell if it's my fault. It was just a normal takeoff, I couldn't have made a wrong judgment. There is really something wrong with the 1566 plane. Before I could react, the plane's attitude was about to exceed ten degrees."
"Your feelings, are these what a professional pilot should say?" Lu Jinghua's fingers traced across the skin on his forehead, and it was obvious that he was unhappy. "If feelings are really so reliable, then what is the meaning of spatial disorientation when we learn to fly?"
The captain was choked by Lu Jinghua's words, and the first co-pilot kept his head down. In this situation, he didn't dare to speak at all.
"Write an incident report later. The more detailed the better." Lu Jinghua waved his hand and said, "Let's go. Go home and calm down before the Safety Supervision Department draws a conclusion. It should be quick and you won't have to wait long."
In just a few words, Lu Jinghua came to the conclusion, and after a very brief hesitation, the captain finally swallowed the words of defense that were about to come out of his mouth.
"What about plane 1566?"
Just because the captain doesn’t speak doesn’t mean others won’t speak, like Xu Cang.
Xu Cang stared at Lu Jinghua with a sharp gaze: "How does the company plan to deal with the 1566 aircraft?"
Lu Jinghua leaned back in his chair and said calmly, "Xu Cang, you are the second officer. This matter has nothing to do with you and will not affect your subsequent flights."
Lu Jinghua's meaning was very clear, he didn't want Xu Cang to get involved. Xu Cang had no say at this level, and obedience was the only way to protect himself. It was not a good idea to stand out.
Xu Cang didn't understand what Lu Jinghua meant, but he didn't stop talking. Instead, he took a step forward and said to the captain, "Why doesn't this have anything to do with me? The plane has a problem, and it has nothing to do with the pilot. There's no such thing in the world."
"Whether there is a problem with the plane is not something you can tell with your mouth." Lu Jinghua looked up and met Xu Cang's sharp eyes. He spread his hands helplessly: "Okay! 1566 will stop for inspection. Is this okay?"
Xu Cang nodded and said nothing more.
Lu Jinghua stood at the door of the office: "Okay, everyone get out of here."
The captain and the first co-pilot looked at each other and left obediently. However, Xu Cang hesitated again and again. When he walked to the door, he did not forget to turn around and ask, "Brother, do you really know how to check?"
The change in address softened Lu Jinghua's originally annoyed mood: "I promise you, I will check it, check it carefully."
After receiving Lu Jinghua's assurance, Xu Cang finally felt relieved. He was only afraid that Blue Sky Airlines would only do some basic and simple tests to ensure operations, and thus would not be able to find any real problems.
This may be hard to imagine for ordinary people. What could be more important than safety? But in the eyes of some people, there are things that are more important than safety. It is even more terrifying if those people are lucky.
This is not alarmist. There are many precedents in the history of civil aviation, and Xu Cang has to consider this possibility.
However, since he had Lu Jinghua's assurance, Xu Cang did not hesitate any longer. When he was about to leave, Lu Jinghua suddenly stopped Xu Cang.
Lu Jinghua frowned and said earnestly, "Xu Cang, it's okay for you to talk to me like this, but if it were someone else, you would suffer."
Xu Cang lowered his head: "Sorry, I was a little anxious just now."
"You don't have to apologize to me. This is not what I want." Lu Jinghua waved his hand. He looked a little tired and not in a good state: "Xu Cang, not all people in the company are good. Or... to be precise, there are not many good people. You have to learn to protect yourself."
Xu Cang was stunned for a moment, then he smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth: "I will be careful about the way I speak, but I will still say what I should say. Even if some people don't like to hear it, I have a clear conscience."
Lu Jinghua sighed: "Okay, it's good that you know, go ahead."
After Xu Cang left, Lu Jinghua anxiously opened his mailbox on the computer. The latest email was a description of the return of the Jianchuan-Yingli flight that Xu Cang had just executed from the operation control department. This email was sent to the vice president of operations and the vice president of maintenance, and copied to the department heads of the flight and maintenance departments.
This was originally a very routine incident report. However, the vice president of operations directly replied to this email: "Complete the necessary tests as soon as possible and restore the aircraft to operation as quickly as possible."
This instruction doesn't seem to be a big deal, but in fact there is a trick involved.
The word "necessary" is, in a sense, a synonym for the lowest standard. After getting along with Luo Yong, the vice president of operations, Lu Jinghua roughly realized that this man was an opportunist who put profit above all else.
The Vice President of Operations obviously wanted the maintenance staff to conduct the minimum basic tests and release the aircraft as soon as possible as long as there were no problems, so as to avoid losses to the company. As for the problem mentioned by the crew, in his opinion, as long as I completed the necessary tests, even the minimum standards were in compliance with regulations and should not be a reason for being attacked.
Looking at the instructions on this email, Lu Jinghua was silent for a long time, and a strong sense of powerlessness arose spontaneously. He sighed: "Xu Cang, you have a clear conscience, but what should I do?"
