Cabin crew landing an airliner?
Hi all,
I'm writing a story about a cabin crew member landing a 737-800 after crew incapacitation (depressurisation a la Helios 522). I'm sure it's been done to death, but the topic has always interested me and I'm wonder if a landing would actually be possible.
This would be a flight from Dublin - Stansted. Like Helios 522, the cabin crew member has a CPL/multi IR, 500ish hours. He has flown a 738 fixed base sim for an hour or two and read the FCOM. Using a POB, he enters the flight deck at TC to find the captain on the floor behind his seat and the FO slumped over. Because this is fiction, I'm assuming the CC member either can't find the flight crew oxygen masks or doesn't know how to use them. Unlike Helios 522, the 738 would have about 90-120 mins of fuel on board.
Passenger O2 has just run out and he has, by my calculation, about 10-12 minutes before everyone on board suffers from irreversible brain damage. Communications are probably out as he doesn't even know where the transmit button is hiding.
My question is this: What are his chances of getting the 738 on the runway in one piece? It'll probably get damaged in the landing, I imagine. He will have plenty of pitfalls:
- Flying manually
- Aircraft management
- Low speed handling
- Dealing with airspace (or ignore it and plough through squawking 7600 or 7700)
- Weather (possibly)
Does anyone believe this can be done without killing everyone on board? In reality it has been done with smaller (King Air size) aircraft, but the one time it happened with a 737 the CC member couldn't (or wouldn't) even disconnect the autopilot. Perhaps he was too terrified, or maybe he noticed the very low fuel state and assumed that it was pointless to try.
Just a note, I'm not a published writer, this story is be written because I'm enjoying writing it. I'm only 3500 words in, so some early input would be hugely helpful.