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date="2021-10-04"

title="Chapter Fifty-Three"

weight="139708"

series = ["UAAG Air Crash Investigation Team"]

mode = "manual"

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Exposure of media public opinion, like a raging fire, put NTSB and GCAA on the grill.

While responding to the stormy prying and interviews of media reporters, both parties accelerated the progress of the experiment in unison. Three days later, NTSB and GCAA got the experimental results almost at the same time.

While reading the experimental report, Maiha said: “In terms of the shedding of debris on the flaps, the experiment estimates that 80% of the possibility is that the aluminum alloy skin on the upper surface of the flap is peeling off, and 20% is that the flap is directly detached. The Boeing 777 aircraft used by Emirates 411 had just been in flight for four months when the air crash occurred. The possibility of metal fatigue is extremely low. It is initially suspected that it may be a repair error such as a screw."

As soon as he finished speaking, the representative of Arab Airlines immediately calmed his face and said: “Arab Airlines has never made a mistake in maintenance. We would rather let an aircraft never take off than rush to repair it!”

Maiha looked up at him: "This is just a suspicion. It is not necessarily a deliberate mistake by Emirates. In the British Airways 5390 aircraft accident in 1990, the British Airways maintenance department only distinguished by the naked eye when repairing the windshield of the aircraft, using a standard The screw with a size of 2 mm eventually caused the aircraft to be high in the air, the windshield was completely peeled off, and the captain was sucked out of the cockpit. If it was an accidental maintenance error, it would not be impossible."

The Emirates representative still disagreed with Maiha's point of view, but he could not completely veto the other party's judgment.

The wreckage of the plane was destroyed more than 20 years ago.

Maiha could not find evidence to prove that Emirates' maintenance was wrong; similarly, Emirates could not find evidence to prove that it was correct.

At this time, NTSB director Lovins began to report on the experimental conditions of the aircraft engine blade fracture. He stood up: "After 76 real machine experiments on the Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engine, the following conclusions were drawn."

"First, when the heat resistance reaches 1050°C, the test material can pass through the fuel cavity almost without damage at a speed of 32 knots or more."

"Secondly, the Mohs hardness of the experimental material is above 4, to be precise, above 4.25, which can resist the internal pressure of the engine."

"Third, experimental materials with a ductility of 3.2N/mm can pass through the fan blades of the front low-voltage module of the aircraft under certain conditions almost without damage."

Lowens raised his head: "The above are the four-day experimental data and results of NTBS. There are not few physical materials that meet these properties. But it must reach a relative speed of 32 knots or more without being disturbed by the fan blades of the low-voltage module. It is very difficult. My suggestion is to find the aircraft that was in the same airspace or higher airspace as Emirates 411 at the time. The engine of 411 suddenly exploded during takeoff. At that time, there were many aircrafts that also took off from Dubai in the nearby airspace. "

Hearing this, everyone looked at Lovins.

Old Joseph: "You mean, it's possible that some parts fell off from other planes, and then just by one in ten thousand coincidence, it just flew into the engine of the Emirates 411?"

Maiha: "The possibility is too low, what a coincidence it must be!"

Lowens asked in return: "Isn't it just the same coincidence that the air crash was caused in the end?"

No one can refute his words.

There was silence in the meeting room.

Lowens raised his head to look at Zhuo Huan: "Patrick, what do you think."

Zhuo Huan thought for a long time, he looked at his members. Old Joseph shook his head at him. Obviously, neither Meha's reason for "airline maintenance error" or Lowens' reason for "a part dropped from the sky" was very unconvincing. He looked at Fucheng again, and Fucheng also looked at him seriously and shook his head slightly.

Zhuo Huan retracted his gaze and tapped his fingers on the table rhythmically: "Look for survivors again."

Lowens was taken aback: "We have seen the sighting report of Amila Beatty many times, and she has repeated it to us many times. Still need to find her again? She probably won't be able to provide more clues."

Zhuo Huan: "Look for other survivors who were also on the plane at the time. There were more than one hundred survivors. Probably speaking, it shouldn't be only Amila Beatty who felt the abnormality."

Soon, GCAA investigators searched through the accident data and found all the information about the survivors of the 411 of Emirates.

However, over the past 23 years, many survivors have passed away due to various reasons. There were more than 100 passengers who survived that year, but now only 63 people can be contacted, and half of them are reluctant to recall the scene of the crash, or because of the traumatic sequelae of the accident, they selectively forgot everything that happened during the crash. .

Without further ado, the three parties cooperated, and the investigators began to conduct video interviews with 35 survivors who were willing to provide testimony and recall the scene of the air crash.

In the evening of the investigation headquarters, in the conference room.

Fucheng stood in front of the white board, he looked at everyone, and finally met his companion. After nodding, he said: "Then let's review all the things that happened. First of all, it is a pity that the black box of the Emirates 411 crash was completely destroyed in the explosion after the crash. At the same time, because of the nose On the ground, all three pilots in the cockpit were killed. So no one knows what happened to the plane when the crash happened. So in this case, we can only confirm the approximate flight status of the plane through interviews with the survivors. ."

This incident was done by NTSB investigators 23 years ago.

There are no black boxes, no video recordings, and no pilots. So how do you know what happened to an airplane that was almost blown to pieces before it crashed?

Can only ask the survivors, piece together the truth from their scattered memories.

Fucheng went on to say: “At 10:31 on July 11, 1998, Emirates Flight 411 passed the tower’s permission and took off from Dubai International Airport to Sydney. Everything went smoothly when the plane took off. It was sunny in Dubai at the time, but there was a smell. The tropical air circulates over the eastern part of the airport."

"The plane flies smoothly, and the communication with the tower is also very stable. When it flew near the tropical cyclone, it experienced the necessary turbulence. Afterwards, the NTSB interviewed other pilots in the same airspace and confirmed that this tropical cyclone would only cause aircraft turbulence at most, but It will not affect the normal flight of the flight."

"During the turbulence, according to the testimony of eyewitness Amila Beatty, she saw a piece of debris flying out of the flap of the right wing of the plane."

Old Joseph frowned and asked: "How likely is it that the tropical cyclone will cause the surface material of the aircraft to fall off and cause engine damage?"

Fucheng paused and looked at him with a steady voice: "What do you think."

Old Joseph shrugged and said helplessly: "I'm just kidding."

This is probably lower than that of Emirates’ bankruptcy today.

Fucheng went on to say: "After Amila Beatty saw the debris fly out of the flaps, according to her memory, within three seconds, she heard a bang. The other passengers also agreed with her testimony, and none of them saw the piece. The fragments of the flaps flew out, but they all heard a huge explosion. Afterwards, it turned out that it was the explosion of the engine."

"After the explosion, the plane began to move irregularly and violently. About five minutes later, it crashed into the desert next to the Persian Gulf."

"The above are the memories of all the survivors."

After speaking, Fucheng looked at the man sitting in the forefront.

Zhuo Huan turned the pen in one hand, looked down at the ground, and meditated silently.

In silence, Fucheng spoke: "Teacher Zhuo, what do you think?"

Zhuo Huan raised his eyes and looked at him. After his eyes met, Zhuo Huan stood up and walked to the whiteboard. Fucheng walked down quite naturally and sat in his seat.

Zhuo Huan stood next to the whiteboard, his gaze swept away, and he directly raised his pen to point at Lowens: "The possibility of foreign flying objects directly PASS."

Lowens was stunned and said in surprise: "Why? This is also a possibility, although it sounds a little absurd. But as far as I know, Dubai International Airport was very busy that day, with more than 70 planes taking off and landing in five minutes. shelf."

An ironic smile appeared at the corner of Zhuo Huan's mouth: "Are you questioning your boss's ability. If there is a foreign flying object that gets into the engine, then no matter what it is shattered by the explosion, your boss It can be found from the endless sand and pressed to death on the chain of evidence. Levi Andrew can even find the broken fan blades, and conduct experiments, can not find one that does not belong to this aircraft. Foreign material?"

Lowens was speechless.

Zhuo Huan continued: "Aviation's maintenance problem will not be mentioned for the time being, just for the final reference. First of all, we must clarify a problem. The thing that tears the fan blades of this Boeing 777 must come from itself."

Fucheng thought for a while, raised his hand and asked, "Is it only from the engine?"

Zhuo Huan looked at him: "Not necessarily."

Fucheng was silent for a moment, and said: "Last year when we were investigating the JAL 917 air crash, an invisible culprit appeared. It was electromagnetic waves. If we say Mr. Andrew, NTSB's ace investigator, together with all of us present today. , I can’t find a murderer who can split the fan blades and flaps at the same time... Will it have disappeared, or was it invisible from the beginning?"

When Fucheng's voice fell, Zhuo Huan was stunned.

At the same time, old Joseph, Lowens and others also showed surprised expressions.

There were rustling discussions in the conference room.

Zhuo Huan looked at Fucheng with sharp eyes: "Reason."

The reason, the reason why this view was suddenly raised.

Fucheng looked back at him earnestly and gave the answer: "I just think that if I were investigating a top-notch and perfect airplane crash, its low-pressure fan blade in front of the tail spine suddenly broke. After so many people searched together, they couldn’t find the culprit. So... when you rule out all impossible situations, the rest, no matter how unbelievable, are the facts.” The voice paused, Fucheng seemed to still think He said something, but he closed his mouth and didn't speak again.

Zhuo Huan's gaze stayed on him for a few seconds, then he looked at everyone sitting at the table and said, "It's not impossible to be an invisible murderer. The next investigation will start from this aspect."

In the UAAG office, everyone began to discuss the possible cause of the accident.

Su Fei said without hesitation: "Electromagnetic waves. JAL 917 was affected by the aurora, which caused electromagnetic disturbances in the aircraft's MCD magnetic debris detector, and finally affected the aircraft's fly-by-wire system."

Fucheng shook his head: "It can't be electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves may cause engine abnormalities, but they will never cause the skin of the aircraft flaps to fall off." After a pause, he added: "The flaps are peeling off, which is definitely an objective observation. Caused by physical reasons."

"Your words are inconsistent."

Everyone turned their heads and looked at the man sitting by the window.

Zhuo Huan stood up while chewing gum, and calmly pulled his chair among the crowd.

Lina was a little surprised: "Reid?"

Uncle Zhuo sat on the chair carelessly, tilted his legs, and looked at Fucheng: "Your proposal is an invisible murderer. But you also said that the falling off of the flap fragments is a physical effect visible to the naked eye."

Fucheng's lips moved.

Old Joseph came up with a reason: "Perhaps, the two things are really not connected, but just a coincidence? The falling off of the flap fragments may be caused by an error in the maintenance of Emirates Airline, or an extremely rare material fracture. Even to put it more simply, It was directly that Amila Beatty had read it wrong, or...she made up all of this. She didn't see any flaps peeling off at all, she just didn't want to be sent back to the country, so she made up this lie."

There was a sudden silence in the office.

For a long time, Zhuo Huan sneered and said, "This is the last possibility."

Su Fei: "That's not an electromagnetic wave, what is it?"

Old Joseph thought for a moment: "When investigating the JAL 917 air crash last year, we once said that in the 2008 British Airways 38 air crash, ice slag blocked the fuel pipeline and eventually caused the engine to stall. Of course, this accident happened in Dubai in the summer. Ice may appear. But is it possible...water is the culprit?"

Fucheng shook his head: "Water, even ice, can't cut the fan blades of an airplane engine."

Although Lina cannot insert these topics, she herself is full of love for airplanes, otherwise she would not resign from the United Nations and come to UAAG. She poured a cup of coffee for everyone, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, it's been 23 years, and it's not bad these few days."

Su Fei: "The invisible murderer is not water, not electromagnetic waves...it is temperature? Extremely high temperature?"

Zhuo Huan glanced at him with a sneer in his nose: "It makes you think, it makes you nonsense? How high is the temperature, over 1000℃? Oh, the fuel cavity of the Trent 800 engine can reach 1000℃ by itself. High temperature."

Su Fei: "..."

"Then what can I think about it! Want it to be invisible, but also to destroy the internal fan and the outer flaps of the aircraft at the same time! Does this thing have three heads and six arms? Then why does it only work on the right wing and the right side? Start with the engine, do you look down on the left engine!"

Fucheng was taken aback for a moment. He was surprised and said: "No, it's not that it didn't attack the left wing and the left engine, but that it only affects the right side."

The old Joseph also regained his senses abruptly. He quickly said to Lina: "Lina, can you help me print a 3D structure drawing of the Boeing 777."

Lina smiled softly: "Of course it can."

But Zhuo Huan said: "It's too slow."

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

I saw Zhuo Huan turned sideways, stretched out his hand and took a blank sheet of paper from his desk. Holding a pen, he quickly drew a smooth curve on the white paper. Then, one curve after another spread on the white paper at an extremely fast speed. The black ink continued to smudge on the white paper, as if there was no need to think at all. In only thirty seconds, a hollowed-out Boeing 777 appeared on the white paper.

Of course, there is only one half, only the right wing and the engine under the wing, as well as the fan blades in that engine.

Fucheng stretched out his hand and pointed to the flap behind the wing: "Here, Betty said that the'fragment' she saw flew out from here."

Zhuo Huan drew a circle on the flap, and then he drew a circle on the low-pressure fan blade on the back of the engine.

Everyone looked at the picture he had drawn on the white paper.

Old Joseph looked at the structure drawing on the white paper in astonishment: "Actually, the fragments of the flaps and the broken fan blades of the engine... are not very far apart."

Yes, although one is located on the upper surface of the wing and one is located inside the engine. But if you ignore the metal materials that are separated from each other, from a straight line distance, the flap fragments and the fan blade fragments are almost just stuck together!

Fucheng immediately said: "We should see how far the distance is between the two, and check the actual distance..."

"1.9 meters."

The sound stopped abruptly, and Fucheng looked at Zhuo Huan.

Zhuo Huan lowered his eyes and calmly looked at the black lines on the white paper. As if perceiving the youth's gaze, he raised his head and said: "Visual estimation. The ratio of the maximum thickness t of the aircraft wing to the chord length c is the relative thickness. The relative thickness of the Boeing 777 is about 14%..."

At this moment, the door of the office was knocked.

Everyone looked back at the door, and saw that outside the glass door, Lowens was holding a document in one hand, and looked at the people in the room with his head. Seeing that everyone saw him, he waved his hand with a happy expression on his face, obviously in a good mood.

After getting permission, he opened the door and said happily, "Fu, the invisible murderer you mentioned yesterday. I went back and thought about it for a long time. I found a piece of information. In July 1990, the TWA 800 crash. It was. A Boeing 747 aircraft stayed at the airport for a long time for three hours before takeoff. The weather was too hot and the oil and gas in the fuel tank became flammable. This caused the oil and gas temperature to reach 114 degrees Fahrenheit after takeoff, high temperature and wires. The short circuit will eventually cause the fuel tank to explode, a chain reaction, and the engine will explode."

Lowens couldn't hide his excitement: "Look, an invisible murderer, it's Temperature!"

Su Fei looked at Lowens with the look of a fool. He learned Zhuo Huan's tone just now and said sarcastically: "It makes you think, that makes you nonsense?"

Lowens was stunned.

Su Fei continued: "It's still hot, and the fuel tank exploded. Don't you believe your boss's ability? If the fuel tank really exploded, he couldn't find it out 23 years ago?"

Lowens was stunned by Su Fei's words, and didn't react at all.

The punk boy was quite proud. He looked at his companion and wanted to get some praise and praise. However, under the bright lights of the office, Fucheng frowned slightly, and Old Joseph also showed a strange look. Zhuo Huan looked up at Lovins. For a long time, he chuckled and his voice was loose: "It was you looking for the information, or your boss was looking for it."

Lowens: "..."

After sighing, Lowens said helplessly: "Yes, it was the case material that Deputy Director Andrew looked for, and he proposed this direction. Hey, don't look at me with this look, Patrick, haven't you already said it before, I'm Andrew The deputy director’s subordinates, yes, I am his confidant. You all know the reason why I came to Dubai. Then I will report to the deputy director every day if there is any problem with the progress of the investigation?"

Zhuo Huan didn't even give alms to Lowens, leaving him with a contemptuous sneer.

Su Fei was stunned: "Wait, what do you mean this is. I said temperature, and RIP laughed at me. Lowens said temperature, do you still praise him?"

Old Joseph: "Oh, why don't you understand it! The temperature is not the point. The point is that the fuel tank exploded! The TWA 800 crash, its engine explosion, and even its fuel tank explosion, were easily discovered afterwards. But Emirates 411 is different. Twenty-three years ago, it was blown to pieces. In the end, the investigation team only found an engine explosion. But maybe they didn’t find it at that time. The aircraft’s fuel tank also exploded slightly. It’s just that. This is a very small explosion, which has been concealed by a larger explosion."

Lina also asked curiously: "Wait a minute, then I don't understand. Since you also said that, no fuel tank explosion was discovered back then, so today, 23 years later, on what basis can it be speculated that a fuel tank explosion occurred? This time, you don’t even have the wreckage of the wrecked plane."

Uncle Zhuo snorted softly, once he was in a bad mood, his face would instantly sink. Standing up, putting his hands in his pockets, Zhuo Huan stepped out of the office.

Everyone called him in surprise: "Reid?"

When he walked to Fucheng, he stuffed the paper with the structure drawing on the right side of Boeing 777 into the arms of the young man.

Fucheng turned his head: "Teacher Zhuo?"

Zhuo Huan walked to the door, stopped, and looked back at him: "When I am angry, you will either replace my job and tell the stupid Harvard graduate where he is wrong. Or..." His lips slowly twitched. When he started, Zhuo Huan raised his eyebrows at Fucheng: "Or, you can do another thing to make me no longer angry."

Su Fei said angrily: "Who is a stupid Harvard graduate!"

Old Joseph and Lina are strange...

Old Joseph: "What's the other thing?"

Lina pursed her slender eyebrows: "Another thing?"

Fingers were tightened, and the roots of the ears were slightly warm. The heart in his chest also beat quickly, but when his eyes met, the young man looked at Zhuo Huan's eyes still extremely calm.

Fucheng's voice was calm: "If you want to smoke, you can go outside. Teacher Zhuo, smoking is prohibited in the investigation headquarters."

"...Tsk."

Zhuo Huan turned and left.

In the office, Fucheng regained his gaze and explained: "The impact of the Global 800 Air Crash, the fuel tank explosion was so great that it could hardly be ignored in the subsequent investigation. The end result of the explosion was obvious. However, the reason for the 411 Air Crash in Emirates is the reason why it was suspected to have happened. The perceived explosion of the smaller fuel tank was due to fragments of the flaps and broken fan blades."

When throwing the white paper to Fucheng, Zhuo Huan also threw the pen he used frequently. It is a Montblanc fountain pen, the most classic black 146 models.

Fucheng took the pen and drew a circle on the white paper, wrapping the flaps and engine in it.

"If there is a very small explosion inside the fuel tank that is difficult to see with the naked eye and has no change in appearance, then there are reasons for the breakage of the flaps and the breakage of the engine fan."

"That invisible murderer..." Fucheng looked up at Su Fei, "The shock wave after the explosion."

"The shock wave after the explosion directly shattered the alloy material on the upper surface of the flap, and also the nearest and weakest part of the fan blade."

"This explosion was really too small. The airplane was in a turbulent state when it encountered a tropical cyclone. The small explosion inside the fuel tank was covered by violent turbulence when it happened, and was erased by the airplane explosion afterwards. Only that strayed away. The going shock wave cut the fan blades and shattered the upper surface of the flaps, leaving key evidence."

The author has something to say:

Zhuo Anxi: Fucheng, kiss me.

Fu Chengcheng: [silence] Well, Teacher Zhuo, walk slowly.