Franklin instructed the captain to hold the throttle, and as soon as the main wheels touched the ground, he pulled the reverse thrust on engines one and three to idle.
The co-pilot was responsible for deploying the speed brakes and shutting down all engines, and also for extinguishing any fires in the engines.
“Remember what I just told you. Control all your actions,” Franklin said with a stern expression, his eyes narrowing slightly. “After completing everything I instructed, I will immediately activate the emergency evacuation alarm. So, to survive, we must cooperate well!”
“Yes, Captain Franklin!”
“Absolutely!”
The captain and co-pilot quickly agreed. They exchanged glances; the situation was so critical that they had no other choice but to follow Franklin’s instructions.
In the cabin, the chief purser and flight attendants were desperately teaching passengers how to protect themselves during the emergency landing. “Everyone must follow our instructions. Protect yourselves; the plane will make an emergency landing in five minutes! The landing process is extremely dangerous.”
She reassured them while explaining the severity of the situation.
At 2:37 PM, Franklin looked at the clear sky ahead and spoke into the intercom, “This is Franklin. In one minute, we will make an emergency landing! Please trust me; I will ensure we land safely.”
He then began to descend the plane, landing it with a “light two-point” attitude. As the nose of the plane scraped heavily against the runway, sparks flew.
Everyone in the cabin could feel the heavy impact reverberating in their ears. Despite following the protective positions taught by the flight attendants, many could not escape the force of inertia.
Passengers in the middle of the cabin and crew members in front were thrown towards the nose of the plane, crashing into seats and doors, screams filling the air.
Sylvia, positioned at the front, tried to catch those flying towards her but struggled to stay on her feet. She could only watch as people were violently thrown against the doors and fell heavily.
The plane continued to skid uncontrollably down the runway at high speed. Everyone’s hearts were in their throats.
Crew members were scattered, some with head injuries and others with back injuries. The cabin was filled with cries and screams as passengers feared an explosion or worse.
Despite shifting weight to the rear, the danger remained high. Any mistake could have catastrophic consequences. The heavy nose caused sparks as it scraped along, veering off the runway towards the terminal building.
Passengers saw scenery flashing by outside and felt the plane hurtling forward uncontrollably. The sound of collisions was constant.
The terminal had been evacuated, with staff and passengers long gone. Police lights flashed around the airport, fire trucks followed closely, spraying emergency foam on the runway to prevent explosions, and ambulances stood ready.
All city leaders and airport command center officials waited anxiously on the runway, prepared for any emergency.
The heavy collisions and sparks tugged at their hearts as they watched the plane approach the terminal.
Passengers screamed inside the cabin. Some closed their eyes and covered their ears in fear.
At that moment, the screeching sparks and forward motion suddenly stopped. The plane came to a halt just one meter from the terminal.
It was like a wild horse finally tamed.
Franklin’s handsome face remained expressionless, as if he hadn’t just controlled the plane.
“It… stopped?” The captain stared at the terminal in disbelief, mumbling. A minute ago, he thought they would crash and die. But now they had stopped. How did Franklin do it? He stared at Franklin’s chiseled profile with admiration.
The co-pilot burst into tears upon realizing they had stopped, collapsing into his seat. “I thought I was going to die! I don’t want to die!”
The feeling of surviving such an ordeal broke everyone’s emotional defenses.
Cheers erupted in the cabin as passengers hugged each other, singing and dancing in joy. Some cried hysterically while others laughed maniacally.
Sylvia and the crew helped injured passengers up. The cabin door opened, and passengers disembarked one by one. Ambulances took injured passengers to hospitals.
Once everyone was safe, Franklin, Sylvia, and the crew left the plane. Reporters swarmed them outside.
“Captain Franklin! How did you do it?”
“We thought you’d crash into the terminal. How did you control it so precisely?”
“What did the crew do?”
“Oh my God! Are there injuries? Any fatalities?”
Franklin gestured for silence. “Everything was achieved through teamwork. Everyone did their part. My wife and I need to return to Aettosa, so please make way.”
Sylvia smiled slightly. “You can interview the crew-the captain, co-pilot, and these wonderful attendants. They were amazing.”
With that, they left with Jax through the crowd of reporters.
City leaders arrived after comforting passengers but found Franklin and Sylvia already gone.
The plane’s emergency code 7700 had been reported online, capturing public attention. Updates on its status were frequent.
When news broke that it landed safely with only minor injuries to about ten people, there was a wave of online celebration.
“Captain Franklin is amazing!”
“I saw Sylvia! Wow!”
“If not for Captain Franklin, everyone would have been in danger.”
“The captain described those thrilling moments in an interview. I’m going to watch.”
Many viewers watched interviews with crew members who were still shaken by the experience. The captain even teared up again during his interview. “Captain Franklin saved us… I am humbled.”
The incident became widely known.
MI6’s Vaughn and others who knew Franklin and Sylvia were on that flight were worried sick. They called after learning of the safe landing.
“Master Franklin, are you okay?”
“Is Miss Andrews alright?”
“That was terrifying.”
After reassuring them, Franklin boarded another flight to Aettosa.
Sylvia also received a barrage of concerned messages but responded to each one gratefully.
At Hipps Family Manor:
Queena wiped her tears. “Thank goodness for Franklin’s skills! Sylvia and he are safe. If anything happened to them, I wouldn’t want to live.”
Clare comforted her. “Mom, we manage Sky Division; heaven will protect them. They’re safe now.”
“I can’t wait for them to come back,” Queena said worriedly. “A mother always worries about her children.”
“Sylvia will be back soon; it’s just a few hours’ flight from H Rovirsa,” Clare reassured her.
The incident remained a hot topic online. Passengers shared videos and interviews describing what happened in the cabin.
“Miss Andrews was amazing; she comforted and encouraged everyone.”
“She even sang a song! It was so moving.”
A passenger uploaded Sylvia’s song online, quickly reaching millions of downloads within hours.
As Sylvia and Franklin prepared to return to Hipps Family Manor, Sylvia saw her song trending with millions of downloads… It was quite overwhelming.