Descent from an altitude of 10,000 meters (The Approach)Ch1 - Flight CA416

On a typical Friday, September 15th, 2018, at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.

The day was ordinary, with the weather changing from cloudy to overcast. The Air China Flight 1332 crew had finished checking all the essentials, including blankets and headphones, and were now waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive. rLkgzl

“Today, I get to fly with Captain Jia. I really should post this on my Moments,” said the new flight attendant Yang Feifei excitedly, and fixed her bangs with the front camera on her cell phone.

Cheng Xuan, a seasoned chief attendant, observed the scene with a practiced eye. To her, it was just another routine day, starting with pre-flight meetings with the flight crew for the Guangzhou to Beijing round trip, a route that had been repeated hundreds of times. The only difference today was that the pilot was famous at Air China.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

“You’re planning to take a selfie, huh,” Cheng Xuan teased Yang Feifei, “Let’s save that for post-flight.”

Yang Feifei nodded, “Of course, Sister Xuan. Work comes first.” WIy8Uf

Soon, the flight crew arrived, Captain Chen Jiayu and co-pilot Xu Gengchuan. They greeted each member of the cabin crew politely.

Within Air China, rumors had been circulating regarding Captain Chen Jiayu for quite some time. Three years ago, he faced a crisis that shook the domestic aviation world. While refueling Air China Flight CA416 at Jakarta’s Soekarno–Hatta Airport, a mishap occurred due to ongoing construction work on the airport’s fuel pipelines. The fuel was contaminated, which led to a critical failure of both engines while the plane was at cruising altitude.

The young captain, only a year into his captaincy, had to declare a mayday when they were fifty nautical miles from Hong Kong International Airport. The news spread instantly among everyone in the civil aviation industry in mainland China.

Yang Feifei was still an aviation student at the time and only learned about it afterward, but Cheng Xuan remembered it vividly. She was a flight attendant with Eastern Airlines at the time, off duty and at a colleague’s house, where she watched the entire emergency landing of Chen Jiayu at Hong Kong Airport on TV.

The aircraft, originally bound for Shanghai, faced the uncertainty of whether it could make an emergency landing at an airport with a runway. If they had to make an ocean landing, most of the 238 people on board would have had a slim chance of survival. The Hudson River landing by Captain Sully of US Airways was called a miracle for a reason. But that was on the calm Hudson River, not the turbulent open sea. With two-meter-high waves in the South China Sea, the plane could be torn apart upon contact with the ocean’s surface or capsize, leading to a catastrophic loss.

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In the end, Chen Jiayu maneuvered the Airbus A330 onto the longest runway at Hong Kong International Airport at a harrowingly high speed. Upon landing, the right engine’s thrust reverser failed to engage, forcing him to apply maximum braking. The plane skidded nearly the entire length of the runway, halting just 200 meters from the sea. Hong Kong media broadcasted this thrilling landing live, dubbing it the “Miracle of Flight 416,” and hailing it as the most successful emergency landing in domestic civil aviation in a decade. AVgnr6

There were no casualties among the crew and passengers, the worst injuries were abrasions. After evacuating all the passengers, Chen Jiayu and his co-pilot Chang Bin exited the cockpit, and at that very moment, the tires caught fire due to excessive friction heat from the landing.

The successful escape was captured by reporters who rushed to the scene. This historic moment was broadcast countless times in both domestic and international media.

Initially, Air China intended to keep the news under wraps, as the cause of the incident was still under investigation.

However, media footage from the scene, as well as photos and videos from passengers, quickly spread online, and everyone in the aviation community soon knew of this heroic captain. cahiK5

Subsequent investigations revealed that the crisis was due to faulty fuel pipelines at Jakarta Airport and that Chen Jiayu and Chang Bin were found to have made no operational errors.

On the contrary, their exceptional flying skills and calmness under pressure ensured everyone’s safe escape. Therefore, the airline stopped suppressing the news and instead widely publicized their heroic deeds. Chen Jiayu appeared in numerous news stories, interviews, programs, and even live broadcasts. Initially reluctant, he was eventually persuaded by his superiors to participate, and he accepted all invitations except for 'Touching China' which he firmly declined.

Air China indeed hit the jackpot. Not only was there no casualty, not even a broken bone in the incident, but Chen Jiayu also became a star pilot. Standing 1.85 meters tall, he was handsome and came from a family of aviators, with a pilot father, a chief attendant mother, and an Air Force grandfather, making him the perfect promotional material.

His fame spread beyond the aviation circle, so it was natural for a new flight attendant like Yang Feifei to feel lucky flying with him. lBdwGL

As the crew readied for takeoff, Xu Gengchuan asked Chen Jiayu, “Brother Jia, is this your last flight of the week?”

Chen Jiayu nodded, “Yes, I’ll rest for two days in Beijing and then come back.”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Given his seniority, flight record, and fame, Chen Jiayu had the option to exclusively fly the more lucrative long-haul international flights for Air China, particularly on the Airbus, which included international four-segment routes that accumulated flight hours and money quickly with only one round trip per week. These flights are undoubtedly the most popular across all airlines.

However, despite his favorable position on international long-haul flights, Chen Jiayu had recently switched to short-haul flights after obtaining a Boeing license. Xu Gengchuan was unsure of the reason and their relationship was not close enough for him to ask directly. VKlwrf

Though Chen Jiayu was the captain, he decided to let Xu Gengchuan fly the plane, while he took care of other tasks such as the checklist, radio communication, and more. This allowed Xu Gengchuan to gain more experience and log more hours. Although they finished their tasks early, they had to wait for an extra half hour due to some scheduling issues at Baiyun Airport.

Xu Gengchuan, a local resident of Guangzhou and a frequent flyer from Baiyun, noticed that Chen Jiayu was getting impatient, but he remained calm and explained, “It’s been like this lately. I don’t know if it’s due to a shortage of ground staff or just higher traffic volume. Last time, another captain and I were delayed for four hours.”

Chen Jiayu joked, “A four-hour delay? You might as well not fly at all.”

Xu Gengchuan replied helplessly, “Can’t help it, air traffic control isn’t up to par. The airport needs to expand.” 3hDo84

Chen Jiayu watched with frustration as two planes from Eastern and Cathay Pacific passed by them despite arriving later. This made him feel even more annoyed. However, Guangzhou wasn’t his base. He turned on the radio and considered arguing with ground control, but ultimately decided it was unnecessary and turned off the radio instead.

The cabin was noisy due to the delay. Some passengers were particularly difficult and kept bothering Yang Feifei about trivial matters, insisting on the issue of hot and cold water. This relentless behavior almost brought her to tears. Chen Jiayu even had to come out of the cockpit to check on the situation—since Xu Gengchuan was piloting the plane, Chen Jiayu took on all other responsibilities, including ensuring order in the cabin.

He immediately noticed Yang Feifei secretly wiping tears with a tissue. He frowned but seeing the chief attendant Cheng Xuan reassuringly nodding at him while supporting Yang Feifei, Chen Jiayu then returned to his seat.

“What’s wrong, Brother Jia?” Xu Gengchuan asked him. vdqp W

Chen Jiayu replied, “It’s nothing, you focus on flying.” He checked his phone, saw no messages or WeChat notifications, and then slid it back into his pocket.

Contrary to the cabin, the cockpit was quiet and silent. After a forty-minute wait, Xu Gengchuan quietly maneuvered the Boeing 737-800 out onto the runway.

Occasionally, Chen Jiayu would recall that day two years and ten months ago. At that time, he had no idea what awaited him and his co-pilot, Chang Bin, as they headed toward the high skies.  There were also many diverse passengers aboard Flight 416. Whether it was the exemplary captain with four stripes on his shoulder, a successful banker, an entrepreneur who was constantly on the move, or a budget backpacker. The lives of over two hundred people were forever changed on that day, as they became “survivors.”

He recalled the moment of panic when the engine jammed and the fuselage shook. He also remembered how the thrust of both engines on the instrument panel instantly dropped to a glaring 0%, causing the plane to plummet thousands of meters in a gliding motion over the South China Sea. YcVqmB

Every second of this process was etched deeply into his mind, like a phonograph recording on a disc. It played repeatedly over and over for more than a thousand days that followed. Whenever this happened, he forced himself to forget.

“Air China 1332, taxi out, Runway 2R, turn right to depart at 090,” he picked up the radio, softly repeating the control tower’s instructions.

As the plane’s engines roared with power, its speed increased rapidly. He stared at the speedometer intently: “V1,” this is the decisive speed. After reaching this speed, the plane will take off no matter what.

“Raise the wheels.” FUir5w

The nose of the Boeing 737 lifted off the ground and the plane took to the skies above Baiyun Airport.

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