THE AWAKENING
Emmy was just finishing checking the weather and filing the IFR flight plan when Hayden arrived at the airport. She had performed the preflight inspection of the plane earlier in the afternoon. Hayden is an antique dealer and owns The Octopus's Garden in Savannah. She travels throughout the southeast looking for unique antiques. She routinely travels with Savannah Aviation and Emmy has been her pilot on several occasions.
"Looks like a great afternoon for flying." Emmy always tries to put her passenger's concerns at ease. She goes through the routine motions of getting the pearl white and royal blue Beechcraft Baron into the air. The plane levels off at 12,000 feet and Emmy sits back to relax for the short flight to Tri-Cities Airport. Hayden gazes out the window at the cloud tops a few hundred feet below the multi-engine plane. She imagines one could walk across the big, white, fluffy clouds.
Thirty minutes into the flight, Emmy recognizes the bad weather up ahead. Flight Services informed her that cloud cover and light rain could be expected as she left the piedmont and began crossing the mountains. The weather was not uncommon for this time of the year. Emmy senses that Hayden is becoming uncomfortable with the deteriorating conditions. "Don't worry. This weather is common for these mountains. Besides, we're not going to descend into the soup. Have you ever visited the Tri-Cities area before?"
Hayden has never been to the area. Since Emmy grew up only a few miles from the airport of intended landing, she engages Hayden in a pleasant conversation about the region. Emmy suggests that Hayden and her business partners enjoy a nice, relaxing dinner at a restaurant in Johnson City called Café Pacific. "It's a great place to eat, especially if you like Thai cuisine," Emmy advises.
All of a sudden their conversation is interrupted by a change in the sound of the engines, followed by the airplane slowing down, as it starts to descend and turn, all on it's own. "What's the matter?" Hayden asks.
"We've got serious problems. The left engine just quit." Emmy remains calm outwardly, although inwardly all of her senses have come alive.
Emmy begins talking aloud as she quickly responds to the plane that is now almost out of control, "Maintain directional control! Pitch for 95! Mixtures, props, throttles forward! Identify: dead engine, dead foot! Verify: left throttle! Decide: restart or feather & land!" She checks her GPS for the nearest airport. Not far away is a small Regional Airport in Asheville, North Carolina. She gently turns the airplane 15 degrees to the left, and continues her emergency procedures: "Fuel on, cowl flaps closed, primers in and locked, mixture rich, props forward, throttles forward, mags on, fuel pumps on & pressure good, engine gauges checked. Ok, lets check the mags. Left mag off then on. NO GO. Right mag off then on. NO GO. No choice, we have to feather before the engine slows below 950 RPM!"
She quickly pulls the prop control for the left engine back. The plane shakes violently as the prop feathers, and the engine finally stops turning. "Ok, let's secure the engine: left fuel off, left cowl flap closed, right cowl flap open. Left mixture off, left throttle off, left mags off, left fuel pump off, left alternator off. Reduce electrical load." She turns off some avionics to conserve power.
"Are we gonna make it" Hayden asks.
"Just a minute! Hang on!" Emmy's concentration is intense.
"Atlanta Center, this is Beech Baron November eight zero eight six Zulu, declaring an emergency. We are approximately one five miles south southeast of Asheville Regional Airport at niner-thousand five hundred feet and descending. We have a critical engine failure, and are losing altitude. Please advise!"
Hayden's eyes are wide open as she listens to Emmy talk on the radio, and now the Control Center is calling her back: "All aircraft standby. Baron November eight zero eight six Zulu, understand you are declaring an emergency. What are your present heading and airspeed, and say intentions."
"Atlanta Center, eight six Zulu. We are heading three four zero degrees at niner zero. Request emergency landing at Asheville Regional Airport."
"Roger, eight six Zulu. You are cleared direct to Asheville Regional Airport. Be advised the field is full IMC, ceilings are 500 feet. Do you have anything to declare?"
"Negative, Atlanta Center. Eight six Zulu is instrument certified and qualified. We are squawking 7700, and request ILS approach with frequency change to Asheville."
"Eight six Zulu is cleared for the ILS 34 approach to Asheville Regional. Maintain current heading to intercept the localizer, and descend at pilot's discretion. Be advised there is mountainous terrain in the vicinity of the airport. Contact tower on 121.1"
"Eight six Zulu is cleared ILS 34, current heading to intercept localizer, descend at pilot's discretion, contacting tower at 121.1"
"Read back correct, Eight six Zulu. Good luck!"
Emmy changes the frequency on her radios, and changes a few settings on her instruments, then calls, "Asheville Tower, Beech Baron eight zero eight six Zulu is inbound with emergency, ILS 34, outside ENNKA."
"Baron eight zero eight six Zulu, radar contact, cleared ILS 34. Understand you have a critical engine failure, and have declared an emergency. No traffic is in the area. How many souls onboard, how much fuel remaining, and do you need the trucks standing by, Ma'am?"
"Eight six Zulu is cleared ILS 34. Two souls. Two hours fuel. Negative on the emergency equipment."
"Are we gonna make it?" Hayden asks, fear written all over her face.
"We should. Just be calm!" says Emmy, trying to hide and suppress her fear and tension.
The plane is in the clouds now, and nothing can be seen outside. Their beautiful flight and enjoyable trip has suddenly turned to horror. Emmy continues to fight the plane through the turbulence, while staying on course, and keeping as much altitude as possible. "You're not saying much, Emmy. What's the matter? Why are you so quiet?"
"I'm just trying hard to concentrate, Hayden. We're losing altitude faster than we should, and this plane is extremely difficult to fly when the left engine goes. It's the WORST possible one that could have died. There are a lot of mountains around us, and we're still several miles away from the airport. We need to stay as high as we can until we get to the airport. It's going to be close. REAL close!"
Just then a loud beeper went off followed by a high-pitched buzzer. Various lights started flashing on the dash of the airplane. "WHAT'S THAT!!???" Hayden screamed.
"Some good news and some bad news," replied Emmy. "We just crossed over the outer marker of the airport, which means we're only 5 miles away. We have another problem: our terrain sensing radar says we're within 500 feet of the ground, and we should be over 1000 feet at this point! I'm trying hard to hold what I've got, but if I pull up anymore, the plane will stall, spin and crash into the ground. We'll have to just hope and pray that GOD will help us through this!"
As the last words were coming out of Emmy's mouth, the plane began dropping below the clouds intermittently. When they could actually see, they were glad at first, until they saw they were headed for some trees. "Oh, NO! I don't think we're high enough to clear the tops of those trees! Make sure your seatbelt is on, and secure. There's a fire extinguisher in the back floorboard if we need it. If we hit those trees, open the door before the plane reaches the ground so we can get out. Got it?"
"Ok, I guess," Hayden replied in a shaky voice. "Isn't there anything we can do?"
"Just pray, Hayden. PRAY!"
As the plane came closer and closer to the trees, it was increasingly apparent they were going to hit them. Emmy maintained her cool, and tried to keep the plane steady. The winds were fierce and tossing the plane around. She could feel her heart pounding almost out of her chest it was beating so hard. Just as they got to the trees, her heartbeat began to slow. It pounded hard and slow in her chest like an ironsmith pounding away with a sledgehammer. There was no way. They were at least 20 feet below the tops of the trees. She knew they were going to hit! At the last second, in desperation, she went against all of her emergency training procedures, and pulled back on the yoke. The plane pitched up, and started to climb. But the airspeed dropped quickly and the stall warning horn came on.
Bam! The plane's bottom hit the tops of the trees! The plane shook violently. Hayden screamed out and started yelling, "Oh my God! We're gonna die! Do something Emmy! I don't wanna die! Oh, God!
Luckily, only the plane's landing gear hit the tops of the trees and went right through. The plane continued, although now it was dangerously slow and even harder to control. The trees they hit were the last ones before a clearing. Her act of defiance worked! Now if she could just get some speed back. Just then, she spotted the airport.
"Asheville Tower, Baron eight six Zulu is inside ENNKA. We have the field. We are less than 200 feet above the ground and may not make it. Advise having the trucks standing by."
"Baron eight six Zulu, Asheville Tower. You're cleared to land. The trucks and ambulances are on the field, and standing by. Can you maintian 200 feet? There are towers in your area."
"Asheville Tower, Baron eight six Zulu is doing our best. We're doing our best, over" Emmy replied in a noticeably shaken voice. Hayden was quiet now. Buzzers and warning horns were still going off. The plane was slow and hard to control. Emmy kept fighting the controls while saying under her voice, "Come on! Come on!" She reached up and turned off some of the noise so she could concentrate better. A gust of wind lifted the airplane momentarily, and slowed their descent. Emmy thought back to the boyish grin on John's face as he landed the little Cessna-172 during their practice emergencies. He had done such a good job, but it was only practice. Oh, if only she could have her dead engine back. But those were only hopeless pipe dreams. This wasn't practice or pretend. It was for REAL. Her life started passing before her. All the work and struggles she'd been through. What had it gotten her? She realized that she was dazed. Her mind was wandering, and she really needed to concentrate. She was a professional pilot, and had to get the plane down on the ground safely.
The fairly new and luxurious Beechcraft Baron moaned as it struggled through the air, headed for an airport that was less than a mile away, but seemed like it was taking an hour to get there. Dangerously low and slow, now more than ever, it was up to Emmy to keep the plane steady. As the plane drew nearer to the runway, Emmy could see that she was barely going to clear the approach light towers. "Gotta keep this baby up just a few more feet! Come on! Just a few more feet!" This time, she had no tricks left up her sleeve. The plane was already much slower than what was safe. ANY change would be instant death. Again, her heart started pounding as the plane came closer and closer to the approach lights. Were they going to make it? If so, it was going to be extremely close.
"Asheville Tower, Baron eight six Zulu, over the approach lights. This is going to be close. We may not clear the lights."
"Baron eight six Zulu, Asheville Tower. Understand. You've done a great job! Keep up the good work! Crews are standing by. You can make it."
Now it felt like the plane was just inches above the lights. Only another thousand feet to go. Could they make it? BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! The plane's tires started hitting some of the approach lights. Hayden started screaming again, "Oh no! We're going to die! Oh, Lord, help us!"
"SHUT UP!!!" Emmy shouted back. "We're not going to die! Sit still and be quiet!" She hated to raise her voice to Hayden, but it was so distracting and she was having enough trouble controlling the plane.
BAM! BAM! BAM! The tires hit more of the approach lights. It was only a couple hundred feet from the end of the runway now. Emmy was afraid. She had never been so frightened in all her life. There was nothing left to do, but ride it out, and the ride looked deadly. Her speed was low. The plane was too low. No options were left. "Hang in there," she thought to herself. It looked like there was no hope. At this speed, if she hit more than an approach light, the plane would flip, the wings would be ripped off, and the sudden impact would cause the plane to burst into flames. She and Hayden would be roasted like a couple of chickens in a rotisserie, or marshmallows over an open campfire.
BAM! BAM! BAM! More approach lights. About a hundred feet to go. In desperation, she yanks back on the yoke one more time. The plane stalls. It starts to pitch to the left. She pushes back on the yoke to regain control, as she presses with all her might on the right rudder. Warnings of cross-controlled stalls and spins race through her head, but she HAS to do SOMETHING. A gust of wind pushes the Baron a little to the right, and the plane starts to level off, but it is no use! The airspeed is too slow to keep the plane up any longer.
WHAM! The plane falls hard on the ground, right on the edge of the runway, then bounces up, and comes back down again as the tires begin to roll on the tarmac. Quickly Emmy pulls back the right engine, and works the controls to stop the bouncing, and keep the airplane's movement in line with the runway. She'd gotten this far. She can't give up now. The tires screech as she applies the brakes as hard as she can. The plane tries to go off the side of the runway, but she is determined to prevent it. With all her strength, she presses hard on the rudder pedals and brakes while holding back on the yoke. "Come on! STOP!!! DARN YOU! STOP!!!" she shouts at the top of her lungs, as if the plane can hear, and not only listen, but also respond to her command.
As the plane continues to slow, Emmy sees the emergency vehicles racing toward her. The plane finally comes to a stop, still on the runway not far from a taxiway. Her right hand begins to shake violently as she removes it from the throttle. Her knuckles on her left hand are white where she had clung to the yoke with all her might. As the tower congratulates her and asks her to taxi off the runway, she knew how close to dying she had just come. She advances the throttle on the engine enough to move the plane across the hold-short line. The emergency crews rush up to the plane as she shuts down the engine. Hayden sits motionless, fear still gripping her. Emmy tells her everythings ok now and it is time to get out.
Once outside the plane, they could see where the landing gear and tires hit the tree tops, and the approach lights. Other than some minimal damage to the landing gear, the plane was in good shape. As Emmy started to walk from around the plane, her legs gave way and she fell to the ground.
Much later Emmy awakens to a cool wash cloth blotting her face. A radio is playing somewhere in the distance; an angels voice singing in the background. She hears the distinct click, click, click of the ultrasonic bird avoidance device and realizes she is in a hangar. Her mind slowly pieces together the past few minutes. Death had been only a heart beat away.
Not long afterwards, a mechanic with the Asheville Jet Center makes a quick inspection of the engine on the Baron and informs her it will be a couple of days before the plane will be repaired. Hayden and Emmy discuss their options for continuing the trip. Hayden's meeting is extremely important and she needs to arrive in Tri-Cities as close to the expected time as possible. Since neither of the two women is ready to jump back into the cockpit of a plane, Hayden decides she will rent a car and drive the hour into Johnson City. Emmy will be the passenger this time.
Upon arriving at Tri-Cities, Emmy called her friends at Elizabethton. They were delighted to hear from her and suggested that she catch a ride over with Todd in his Skyhawk, as he was practicing take-offs and landings with one of his students at the controlled field. Emmy also called Anli informing her that she would be a couple days later than what had been anticipated and recounted the nightmare emergency landing that had occurred in Asheville.
While Hayden took care of business, Emmy hitched a ride over to Elizabethton. The next several hours were spent enjoying the company of her friends. "Too bad something this drastic had to slow you down, girl" Randy teased. All the local guys and pilot friends were there: Randy - the airport manager, Ben - a helicopter pilot and owner of the regional search & rescue team, Dan & Todd - corporate pilots and flight instructors, John, Steve, and Bob - all corporate pilots, and Rob - an airline pilot and flight instructor. They all sat up into the wee hours of morning catching up on the years' happenings, and sharing fond memories of past times together - hangar flying! Emmy had not enjoyed herself this much in years. She had forgotten how delightful the small airport atmosphere could be. A new feeling inside her began to grow. Being around her old friends, who had supported and encouraged her through the hard years, was initiating a renewed love for what she had grown complacent about - flying.
After spending a couple of days just hanging out in Elizabethton with her friends, Hayden came by to pick her up and head on back to Asheville. Emmy hugged everyone and promised she would be back soon. "Slow down and enjoy life. Don't work so hard," Rob advised as he gave her a big hug. She promised she would.
The trip back to Asheville and on to Savannah was uneventful. When Emmy first sat behind the controls of the aircraft that had just days earlier almost took her life, she shuttered to think not how close she had come to dying, but how close she had come to living the rest of her life as though she were dead. What an awakening! Had this incident never occurred, she would have probably continued to live her life in a vacuum. "Not anymore," she thought as the plane's wheels lifted off the tarmac headed back to Savannah.