The last flight of the silver bolt.
Aircraft Boeing 727-300 G-HPCD CALLSIGN silver bolt
CVR recording from arrival in US west coast airspace to crash landing in the Cullen's baseball field.
PILOT: Oakland centre this is silver bolt currently at flight level 370 requesting permission to ascend to flight level 420.
OAKLAND CENTRE: Roger that silver bolt you are cleared to ascend to flight level 420.
PILOT: acknowledged control. Over and out.
Flight engineer: how long until we reach our stopover in Hawaii?
PILOT: around 5 hours I would guess but with the clear weather I think we could get there sooner.
Flight engineer: ok then.
(An hour later)
PILOT: could you pass me that twilight illustrated guide please?
FLIGHT ENGINEER: yeah sure here you go.
PILOT: thanks
Flight engineer: I take it you like the twilight saga then?
PILOT: yeah I do like it and I also have the films.
Flight engineer: really?
PILOT: yes really I keep both the books and the films in that crash proof box.
Flight engineer: wow I didn't know that.
PILOT: I remember this one time when I flew the actress who plays Rosalie hale to the premier of breaking dawn part 2. I can't remember what her name was, do you have any idea?
Flight engineer: was it Nikki reed?
PILOT: yes it was.
FLIGHT ENGINEER: I bet you found her very sexy right?
PILOT: oh yeah
Both pilot and flight engineer talk about the twilight saga and tell blonde jokes for 30 minutes. The recording picks up when the Boeing 727 is 20 minutes from crashing.
Flight engineer: captain I have an unusual storm front on my radar.
PILOT: roger that I have visual with the storm.
Flight engineer: should I call ATC and ask to divert around the storm?
PILOT: yeah go ahead.
Flight engineer: Port Angeles central this is silver bolt.
PORT ANGELES CENTRAL: roger that silver bolt go ahead.
Flight engineer: we have a large storm ahead of us and we would like to go around it if possible.
PORT ANGELES CENTRAL: I am sorry silver bolt but I can't find anything on radar except yourselves.
FLIGHT ENGINEER: check your radar because we can see it on ours and we have visual with it!
PORT ANGELES CENTRAL: I am sorry silver bolt but we still can't find ….. (Radio cuts out in a loud hiss of static and static is heard until impact)
FLIGHT ENGINEER: hello, hello! Port Angeles central can you hear us?! I am sorry captain but we have lost contact with ATC.
PILOT: damn it!
PILOT: hang on there is a power failure in the communication circuit.
FLIGHT ENGINEER: the radar has also failed.
PILOT: is it me or does something feel spooky to you?
FLIGHT ENGINEER: now that you do mention it I am feeling creeped out.
A loud bang is heard as the 727 is hit by lightning
FLIGHT ENGINEER: WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?
PILOT: I don't know but I reckon we should descend to a lower altitude.
FLIGHT ENGINEER: yeah I personally think we should go down to flight level 270.
PILOT: roger that but we should descend below the clouds so we can see the ground.
FLIGHT ENGINEER: ok then I think that is better because if we can't make it to an airfield in an emergency we can find an emergency landing site.
As the 727 does so the aircraft is hit by several other bolts of lightning, this is where things get messy.
PILOT: damn! We have just lost all main electrical power!
FLIGHT ENGINEER: ok here we go lightning strike and power failure emergency procedure. It says here to cut off all power except to vital instruments, gear, flaps and engines.
PILOT: roger that. All electrical systems to non-essential stuff have been shut off.
PILOT: ok the aircraft has been damaged so we will have to make an emergency landing!
FLIGHT ENGINEER: confirmed. The nearest airfield is Port Angeles.
PILOT: Port Angeles's runway is barely long enough for the 727. Are you sure about that Dave?
FLIGHT ENGINEER: yes Jonathan the nearest airfield is Port Angles.
Several minutes pass
The cvr picks up the noise of an engine failing
PILOT: we have lost engine 2. We don't have enough thrust to keep us in the air long enough to get to Port Angeles.
FLIGHT ENGINEER: DAMN IT!
PILOT: look! There is a field over there that looks big enough to set her down on.
FLIGHT ENGINEER: ok then beginning landing checklist for rough strip.
PILOT: roger
FLIGHT ENGINEER: gear?
PILOT: down
FLIGHT ENGINEER: flaps?
PILOT: extended to maximum.
FLIGHT ENGINEER: spoilers?
PILOT: armed.
FLIGHT ENGINEER: landing checklist for rough strips is complete.
Several minutes pass
PILOT: hang on… THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THAT FIELD!
FLIGHT ENGINEER: WHAT?! POWER GIVE THE ENGINES FULL POWER!
PILOT: going to maximum thrust!
Sound of engines increasing in speed
PILOT: DAMMIT WE AREN'T GOING TO MAKE IT! COME ON BABY CLIMB! CLIMB.
FLIGHT ENGINEER: ANDREA I LOVE YOU!
Sounds of impact and pilot and flight engineer screaming.
Recording ends
The second part of this story is from Renesmee Cullen's point of view.
It was a cold June afternoon in forks Washington. Just a normal day. But it was forecast that there would be a thunderstorm later so my family, Jacob and I were playing baseball. My team was ahead by 2 points when Aunt Alice just stopped moving and stared into space. We all had seen her do this before and we were used to having Alice have these visions of the future. But this time there was an expression of fear on her face. Daddy also wore the same expression. "Alice what did you see?" uncle Carlisle asked. As he said this both daddy and Aunt Alice turned and shouted "RUN!" we were all confused but just then I heard a loud whining noise which sounded like mum's old truck did once before I was born. But this whining was much louder than that and we all could smell burning. "Look over there!" I heard Aunt Rosalie shout over the noise. We all turned and saw the most terrifying sight. A large aircraft was heading towards us at high speed and it was trailing smoke! Its wheels were down and I could see that the plane was trying to land. We all then immediately ran at full tilt towards the nearest treeline. But as we did so the whining noise increased to an ear-splitting screech and then there was the largest of explosions which swept us off our feet and flung us face first into the dirt.
I managed to pull myself to my feet and turned around to look in the direction of the explosion. What I saw took my breath away. The field was a mess of jagged metal, electrical wiring and other things in an aircraft; all of it was on fire from end to end.
"SOMEONE CALL 911 AND TELL THEM THERE HAS BEEN A PLANE CRASH IN OUR BASEBALL FIELD!" Aunt Rosalie shouted.
"Already on it" Aunt Esme replied. Several minutes of shouting down a phone later there was the sound of a police siren. I recognised the scent. It was my mum's father Charlie. I continued to stare at the aircraft which was still burning.
"It must have recently taken off" "the ferocity of the fire means there must be a lot of fuel on board". I heard grandpa say to Carlisle. As they were discussing what happened I saw movement in one section of the plane. A sudden realisation rose inside of me and without thinking I shouted "there is someone in there!" and ran towards the flaming wreckage.
"WAIT IT'S NOT SAFE THAT AIRCRAFT COULD BLOW UP AT ANY SECOND!" I heard mum shout but I ignored her as I raced into the wreckage. Inside the aircraft there was little air with which I could breathe let alone to see for all the smoke that was in the air. Then I heard a coughing spluttering noise. I slowly moved instinctively trying to avoid injuring myself on pieces of wreckage that were as sharp as vampire teeth. I found two humans in what was left of the cockpit and I could tell that both of them were alive.
"Take Jonathan first"
I looked around to try and find out who said it. Then I realised it was one of the two humans in the plane.
"Take Jonathan out first please." The voice said again. It was the human that appeared to be sitting sideways in front of a large panel with lots of aircraft things on it.
"Who is Jonathan" I asked.
"Jonathan is the pilot" the man said to me. So I walked over to where Jonathan lay slumped over the control wheel. I picked him up and flung him over my back when the man handed me a large metal box.
"Here take it. Jonathan keeps this with him at all times it would be a great thing to know that he has it with him when he is in hospital" he said. I nodded and said "I will make sure of it" and turned and ran from the aircraft. When I emerged from the wreckage Jacob ran up to me and shouted "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING OF NESS? YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN KILLED!
"I know but I saw a person moving inside the aircraft and I wanted to make sure he was all right" I replied
"Here let me take him" Jacob offered and as I passed the pilot to him there was an almighty explosion from the aircraft as the fire reached the fuel tanks.
"THERE IS ANOTHER PERSON STILL ALIVE IN THERE!" I shouted almost crying.
"Not anymore unfortunately" Edward said solemnly.
"I heard the man's thoughts but they just stopped just after that explosion" he continued. But all I knew was sadness and crying.
"Here let me get the pilot to a hospital" Carlisle said and as Jonathan was carried away on a stretcher I called out to him and said "his name is Jonathan"
"Ok I will tell the staff at the hospital" Carlisle replied
"And the man who was inside the plane told me that Jonathan is very attached to this box" I gestured to the box in my hand. "He will get very upset if he wakes up and can't find it" Carlisle took the box and said "I will make sure that it stays with him but I can't guarantee anything" and walked off towards the ambulance.
Jonathan's point of view.
The pain was tremendous. I couldn't think of anything else. I tried to open my eyes but the picture that came through them was all blurry. I could hear voices but they sounded like they were speaking through an ocean. I heard one voice say "his name is Jonathan Swift; he came in 15 minutes ago from a large aircraft crash in a field several miles from Dr Cullen's house. He has several broken bones, a major concussion and minor burns." So I was in a hospital. I could tell that now because I could hear heart monitoring machines beeping and ventilation machines hissing and wheezing. But what I didn't realise that those machines were connected to me!