Come Fly With Me

Extricate

Sorry for the wait, folks. My thanks to Ehcimocs for looking this over.

Scott brings the plane to a halt just after he crosses the wide painted stripes of the aiming point of 36 Left. His hands are trembling as he lets go of the controls, his ankle is killing him due to all the braking, and he's trying not to think about the fact that he's only about 800 feet short of plowing into a field of grass. Score one for extra firm landings and the momentum they absorb.

Behind him, the cabin explodes into clapping and cheering; apparently the passengers are as surprised to be alive as he is and it's good to finally be able to hear that so many of them are okay.

He blows out a long breath and checks the nearby taxiway sign before thumbing his mic. "Uh, American 6226. Stopping here on 18 Right near Whiskey Romeo. I need a gear check ASAP."

There's cheering and clapping in the background of the Tower freq, too, when the woman replies, "I will buy you all the whiskey you want for that landing, Romeo. Shut down your engines. The trucks will soak down your gears as a precaution. Your tires were smoking quite a bit on your rollout."

He bets they were. "Understood. Shutting down." He runs through the shutdown checklist, setting the parking brake, cutting off the fuel. Turning off the seatbelt sign makes him snort, wondering how many passengers appreciate the ridiculousness of the understated little bing-bong that comes with it, given their circumstances, and by the time he sobers, his working engine has spun down and it's now safe for the blaring emergency vehicles that are even now pulling up alongside him to approach. "Engines are shut down for American 6226," he reports over the frequency. "Can you confirm there's no fire or other need for an immediate evacuation?"

"Standby, 6226, foaming is underway...Ops reports no other signs of smoke or obvious hazards."

Thank God for small favors. No telling how many extra injuries would come from having to evacuate with the slides. "We'll wait for EMS and the stairs then. Thank you."

His next order of business is pushing his seat back -- painfully with one leg -- so he can check on Jeff, who still has a pulse and is still breathing, loudly and obviously in his mask. Now that Scott's up and leaning over him, he can see the bruised and bloody wound on the far side of his head, the obvious cause of his unconsciousness. He must have been bashed with something when the window depressurized, although Scott has no idea what it could have been.

Scott has first aid training, but he's by no means a medic, so instead of trying anything himself, he keys his mic again. "American 6226. Status on medical teams? My relief pilot has a serious head wound and I no doubt have other injured passengers and crew."

"Two med teams are approaching with the stair car," the controller in his ear says. She's back to business, but he can still hear cheering behind her. "More are right behind them. Your pilot will be the first priority. If you can give us an idea of the number, type, and location of seriously injured you have, that would help with triage and evacuation."

"Wilco, stand by." He flips from radio to PA and says, "This is the pilot speaking. Emergency medical teams will be boarding shortly to assist. Please remain seated unless otherwise instructed by your flight attendants or emergency services. If you or someone around you has a serious injury, make sure the cabin crew is aware so help can get where it's needed first. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance. Purser, call the flight deck."

The interphone flashes immediately, and Scott sits back down as he answers it. Nicole is efficient and knows exactly what he needs to hear. There are dozens of injured, of course, but only four seem serious, three passengers and Maria, one of the flight attendants. Maria was apparently pinned under a serving cart when they depressurized and is currently being cared for in the back jump seats, while the seriously injured passengers are split between business class and economy. Additionally, there's a man in premium economy who seems to have had a heart attack.