(dave e)

at long last

Every time I march down a jetway, I worry. I think about turning around but don't, because the rule is this: once you hand the agent a boarding pass, you fly. No going back, and all that.

Today, one of the things I've always dreaded happened. At 35,000 or so feet, our 717 from ATL to DCA lost an engine. Now, because I read Ask the Pilot, I know full well that losing one of two engines doesn't really affect an aircraft's ability to remain aloft. Knowing that made a world of difference, as did Natalie's astonishingly calm presence.

But the thudding pop and the lurch were unsettling, as were the claims of passengers nearby who smelled smoke (I did too, but the power of suggestion was strong), as was the flight attendant's explanation that the pilot was looking into it. Probably no more than 10 minutes after the event, the pilot came on the intercom and explained that we had lost an engine, that he and the first officer had "secured it," and that we were diverting to Raleigh-Durham for an immediate landing. He said we'd be on the ground in 15 minutes. Our pitch during descent certainly felt more pronounced than usual. I imagine we were put at the front of the line.

The flight attendants explained, "this is not an emergency landing, yet" and went on to walk us through what would happen should it become one.

Most disconcerting moment? It's a toss up, honestly, between the attendant announcing that we should follow crew directions to the nearest exit only if - and they were very clear about this - the following announcement was made: "Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate." [NB: Natalie says they only said "evacuate" twice, not three times], and watching the fire trucks pull up to make sure the engine was not on fire.

Repeated twice or three times, even in preparation for an event that thankfully never happened, that phrase was chilling for this flyer. And the sight of the fire trucks' arrival beside the plane, even if only a by-the-checklist affair, conveyed the seriousness of emergency.

We rented a car for the rest of the trip home.

Most probably, this was a good experience. The panicky flyer learned that even engine failure won't keep the plane from a safe and ultimately uneventful landing. Honestly, among the Things That Could Go Wrong, losing one engine is not so bad.

But I was scared.

Posted by dave at September 19, 2005 9:08 PM | TrackBack