It didn’t matter.
I just wanted to get back home where I felt most comfortable.
Business travel did nothing for me. The only thing I enjoyed were the drinks on the flight and being able to use the wifi in business class to work and communicate with Dee while I was 35,000 feet in the air.
The announcement from the flight attendant about the descent let me know I was almost back home.
I took a deep breath and relaxed for the last part of the flight.
Fifteen minutes later, the plane pulled out of the descent and turned away from San Diego.
“What’s going on?” I mumbled to myself, looking out the window, confused.
“I have no idea,” the man next to me said.
The flight attendants were already seated, and there were no announcements, but I was starting to get worried when we circled around San Diego instead of landing.
I looked out the window again and didn’t see any smoke or a missing wing. It didn’t appear that we had any mechanical issues. And the flight was just as smooth as it was when we had left Phoenix. Maybe there was a lot of traffic on the ground at the airport and we just had to delay the landing or wait for a gate to open up.
After the plane circled around San Diego for the third time and destroyed the possibility of an on-time arrival, I was sure my assumptions were wrong.
Something was going on.
The pilot confirmed it.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. A mechanical malfunction is preventing me from extending the landing gear, and that’s why you probably noticed we’ve been circling the aircraft above San Diego. I was hoping the problem would work itself out, but that hasn’t been the case. We’ll need to make a belly landing, as we call it. We don’t have any strong crosswinds and the visibility is very good. I don’t anticipate any problems. I’m going to circle around one more time to burn off a little more fuel before we land. I’ll keep you updated. Please remain seated and follow any and all instructions from the flight attendants.”
I glanced around the cabin; the worried faces of the other passengers didn’t help the uneasy feeling in my stomach.
The two flight attendants in front of me were avoiding eye contact with the passengers.
But what happened next is what really made me think this was serious: the female flight attendant looked toward the ceiling, close her eyes for a few seconds, and then made the sign of the cross.
Not good.
I turned to the guy next to me. “Please tell me a belly landing isn’t what it sounds like.”
He leaned closer and whispered. “It’s exactly what it sounds like. I watched one happen live on television last year during the local news. He’s going to land the plane without the wheels.”
“Without the—”
“Like a baseball player who steals second base. He goes headfirst, you know? He slides on his chest and belly to the second base bag. The metal underside of our plane is the belly.”
I blinked twice, not exactly sure I understood his baseball lingo. “Wait, are you telling me he’s going to slide the actual belly of the plane against the cement until we come to a stop?”
“Yeah . . .” He nodded. “Pretty much.”
My heart rate picked up. “What are the risks with the continuous friction of the metal against the tarmac at high speeds?”
“I remember this well because the new anchor was being very dramatic about it. The plane can disintegrate, flip over, or catch on fire. That’s why he’s burning fuel, to try to prevent an explosion.”
I swallowed hard.
He was pretty much saying that there was a chance we all could die.
I stared out the window for a few seconds, then turned back to the man. “And why didn’t the pilot mention that part?”
“He obviously doesn’t want to freak everybody out. I’m sure there are ten fire trucks already waiting down there for us.”
“And why aren’t you freaking out?”
“Believe me—I am.” He gestured to his clothes. “It’s all happening inside of me, mentally. Plus, I’m sweating like a pig underneath this suit.”
I nodded, leaned back in my seat, and took a deep breath.
I didn’t want to die.
Not like this.
I never even became managing partner of the firm.
All that work for nothing.
A few seconds later, I pulled my phone out of my purse and quickly sent a text to Dee and then another to my parents, telling them I loved them.
Dee responded almost immediately.
Dee: I love you too, but why are you randomly telling me this now? Is something wrong? Did you land yet?
I opted to not answer, knowing it would worry her.
I turned off my phone, stuck it back in my purse, and slid it underneath the seat in front of me.
Then I leaned back in my seat again, gripping the armrests, thinking of how helpless I felt at the moment. Unlike my business life where I was able to calculate risks and make strategic decisions to minimize the chances of a disaster, this scenario was completely out of my control.
My life was in the pilot’s hands.
There was nothing I could do now.
I sat back and waited to find out if I was going to die.
Chapter Four
RUTH
After what had to be the longest descent in the history of aviation, I held my breath as the pilot finally touched down on the tarmac with the belly of the plane.
The scraping, rumbling, and vibration of the metal against the asphalt got more unbearable with every second that went by. It was almost too much for my ears and mind to handle as thoughts of what the passenger next to me had said earlier.
The plane can disintegrate, flip over, or catch on fire.
I kept my head down as the flight attendants continued to yell, “Brace!”
Their screaming was driving me insane.
What I needed was positive affirmations to block out their voices.
Everything is going to be fine. Nobody deserves to die this way. We’re all going to be okay. We’re going to walk away from this. I will never take life for granted again. I want to live. I promise to be a better person if I get through this. I promise to put my shopping cart back where it belongs after I unload the bags in my car at the grocery store.
We had been instructed earlier to stay in the crash position until told otherwise, but I couldn’t help lifting my head and peeking out the window to see if the plane was catching on fire as we slid down the runway.
The sparks, smoke, and small flames that shot up from underneath the plane were too much for me to handle.
I dropped my head back down and closed my eyes.
We’re going to live. We’re going to live. We’re going to live.
The plane finally came to a stop on the runway and the cabin erupted in cheers.
Why were they cheering?
We still needed to get out!
My heart was banging in my chest.
There was an announcement for us to stay in our seats. Soon, we would use the emergency chutes to slide out of the airplane one person at a time. Then we would take a shuttle bus to the special terminal that would have a holding area for us until we received further instructions.
I stared out my window at the fire and rescue crew surrounding the plane with their trucks and emergency vehicles. Shuttle buses were not that far behind them in the distance.