The Flight Of Your Life

Brace For Impact

Glacing at the altimeter in front of me it read: 500ft. This was approximately equivalent to 5 seconds air time left. We were still coming down pretty fast. The landing would be harder than any of us ever expected. I made sure that the 5-way fasten seatbelt was secured tighter around my body than ever before. My mind was braced for impact, not my body. 

I picked up the reciever that would put me straight through and on to the tannoy. 

"Ladies and gentlemen this is First Officer Newsam speaking.. Due to the current situation we are not going to make for land... BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

My briefing was cut short. Immediately my hands snapped onto the control column and gripped tighter than ever. Both Captain Hamilton and myself were pulling as hard as we could on the column to lift the nose. If we hit the ocean with the nose down, we would most certainly break up upon impact. We needed her just a few degrees higher to make it safer.... 

She was fighting back our commands. The plane was becoming more and more difficult to handle with the close we got to the ocean. She had surrendered and was letting gravity pull her down. We, as the pilots, were trying to rescusitate her and bring her back to life. We needed all the help we could get, but she wasn't going to give any. Tears began to collect in the corners of my eyes. I didn't expect the end to be so near. I had places that I wanted to go, family who I wanted to see. My future was being cut short right in front of me. 

I always imagined that my final few moments would be peaceful. I couldn't have been any more wrong. I  was hoping that I would wake up from a terrible nightmare at any second... but that didn't happen either. Reality was a bitch sometimes. 

50 feet above the ocean.....

My heart was pounding. I could feel it threw my ribs. My breathing had rapidly increased. I felt like screaming and crying, but nothing would come out. I was numb. If I was like this  then how were the passengers feeling... how was Captain Hamilton feeling. Running through my mind were hundreds of questions. Many that I couldn't answer. The main one; How many would survive?

5...... 4........3.......2.......1......... IMPACT..................

We hit the water harder than ever imagined. My head was thrown violently forward along with everyone else on board the plane. Water rushed over the fuselage looking for a way in. It showed no mercy, it was out to attack. Blood appeared on the windows. Cracks could be heard everywhere. It haunted my ears. My eyes were partially open. They were sore. Blood was streaming down my face. Everywhere ached, yet I couldn't pinpoint the location. Pain was like a disease. Once it had hold of someone... it spread to everyone else. 

Stabbing pains tore through my central nervous system. Attacking every cell and every organ. The damage was unimmaginable. Life was draining from my body. I wasn't incontrol of anything. My arms were thrashing around above my head hitting the cockpit roof. My legs were locked in position and wouldn't allow me to move even if I tried. I was pinned to my seat. The control column was dismantled and resting besides my head. It was covered in blood.

Captain Hamilton was awkwardly, slumped forwards in his chair. His back arched more than usual and his head resting on the panel with blood trickling onto the floor. Pools of blood were collecting within the footwell. Both his and mine. My clothes were wet and my hair was sticking to my head. I was warm, but cold. 

The windows were beginning to give way. The pressure of the water was becoming too much. Soon the cockpit and the rest of the plane would be flooded with water. If I didn't bleed to death, then surely I would drown. My heart rate increased again. Adreline was flowing through my veins. A sudden urge to survive was possessing my body. I wanted to live more than anything else. I had a voice and I would use it. I had two legs and I would use them. 

"Captain Hamilton, get up... we have to evacuate now!" I screamed when realising that my legs were pinned with the chair. The metal had come loose upon impact and had driven itself through my legs...

Death was still lurking......

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