UAAG CH22

On the first day UAAG arrived in Schaffhausen, Gao Yun told them that this Martha Flight 123 was bought by Martha Airlines for both passenger and cargo transport. However, this didn’t mean it was a combi aircraft (an aircraft designed to carry both passengers and cargo simultaneously on the main deck).

When an airline purchases an aircraft, it usually only serves a single purpose at any one time. For example, Donghua Airlines, where Fu Cheng previously worked, would use a newly purchased plane as a commercial airliner to transport passengers. After the plane had been used for ten or twenty years and became too old, they would either sell it to other airlines or use it as a cargo plane.

The passenger comfort of airliners and cargo planes is entirely different.

Of course, Martha Airlines is a budget airline; the tickets are cheap, and passengers don’t have high requirements for comfort.

Listening to Old Joseph’s words, Fu Cheng found it extremely unbelievable.

It was 2020; he never imagined there would be airlines exploiting pilots like this! This was unimaginable in China, where flight safety requirements were extremely high.

Passenger plane by day, cargo plane by night; the pilots seemed to have become perpetual motion machines, never tiring.

“Do they still have rest time?” Fu Cheng asked.

Through the phone, Old Joseph heard Fu Cheng’s words and replied solemnly, “Technically speaking, there is still rest time. After the EASA investigator and I went to Martha Airlines headquarters to inquire about the situation, we learned that their company’s mandated pilot rest time is ten hours. According to the shifts they arranged for pilots, they usually take off at 8:00 AM, flying back and forth between the UK, Germany, and Switzerland. They finish passenger flights at 4:00 PM and start cargo flights at 6:00 PM. By 9:00 PM, the pilots are off work.”

Lina calculated the time: “That means their working hours are from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM…”

From getting off work at 9:00 PM to starting work at 8:00 AM the next day.

Yes, there are eleven hours of rest time. However, these eleven hours do not include the pilot’s commute home or the preparation for piloting the plane. To take off at 8:00 AM, pilots must board the plane an hour in advance for pre-flight checks. Finishing the flight at 9:00 PM means they have to spend at least another half hour doing the post-flight report.

Martha Airlines gave the pilots enough rest time, even with an extra hour to spare.

But the actual time they could rest was probably less than eight hours!

“How is the situation at Martha Airlines?”

Old Joseph hesitated for a moment and said, “I’m standing at their main entrance right now. I have to wait for the special investigation order from EASA before I can continue the investigation. Martha Airlines was only willing to disclose this much information to us, but the names of those two pilots are indeed not on their employee list. Nor is this Martha 123 among the five aircraft under their name. After the special investigation order is issued, the EASA people and I will take them back to the investigation headquarters in London for official questioning.”

Zhuo Huan: “I probably already guessed what it is.”

“Reid?” Old Joseph said in surprise.

Holding his phone in one hand, Zhuo Huan looked up at the vast blue sky and slowly uttered two words—

“Shell company.”

Dividing into two groups, Zhuo Huan arranged for Lina to collect the relevant passenger lists from Martha Airlines and find passengers who had flown on this Martha Flight 123. They needed to know what this plane had experienced when it was used as a passenger plane.

On the other side, Zhuo Huan and Fu Cheng returned to the candy factory together.

The investigators were still buried in their work, cleaning up the aircraft wreckage destroyed by the explosion, trying their best to identify these aircraft parts that had almost become fragments and sorting them into categories.

Seeing Zhuo Huan and Fu Cheng return, Gao Yun walked up and asked, “How is the situation at the hospital?”

Fu Cheng glanced at Zhuo Huan. Seeing his lowered eyes, clearly indicating that the Lord was in a bad mood today, he answered, “Both families of the pilots have signed the autopsy consent forms. The preliminary autopsy results should be out the day after tomorrow.”

Gao Yun nodded: “I heard Old Joseph applied for a special investigation order from headquarters?”

Fu Cheng was silent for a moment and asked, “How much do you know about Martha Airlines?”

Gao Yun couldn’t help smiling: “Major Fu, you are a Chinese pilot and haven’t been retired from the military for long; you don’t understand the civil aviation industry. China only has some sixty airlines, and almost all of them have state backgrounds. But Europe, don’t look at its small area—it’s not much different from China—but it has more than forty countries, and each country has at least two or three airlines. This is a conservative estimate, so there are at least over a hundred airlines in Europe. Martha Airlines is already considered a company with a name; there are countless small airlines without any reputation.”

In Europe, establishing an airline doesn’t require too many official approvals. You just need capital and willingness to spend money to establish an airline.

Big ones like Lufthansa own 282 aircraft.

Small airlines might only own one aircraft.

Possessing five aircraft, Martha Airlines truly counts as a somewhat famous airline in Europe.

Gao Yun continued, “But I don’t know much about Martha Airlines either, only that it operates both budget passenger and cargo transport. However, it must be responsible for this incident. Once the special investigation order from headquarters comes down, even if they are unwilling to speak, we will definitely know the truth.”

Fu Cheng nodded gently. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a certain man walking aside.

Zhuo Huan walked up to an investigator, put on gloves, picked up an aircraft fragment, and examined it carefully.

Gao Yun asked some other questions, and the two communicated for a while. Gao Yun went back to check the right engine failure, while Fu Cheng strode to the door of the candy factory.

“Teacher Zhuo, what are you looking at?” The young man’s clear voice rang out amidst the gurgling sound of the Rhine Falls hitting the slick stones. Zhuo Huan paused slightly and looked up at him. “Can you tell what part this belongs to?”

Fu Cheng looked at the brownish-red fragment in Zhuo Huan’s hand. He narrowed his eyes and observed seriously for a long time: “…It was smashed too badly; I can’t identify it.”

This red fragment was only the size of a palm, and many fine parts had been snapped off and smoothed down.

Fu Cheng analyzed: “I’ve seen the exterior diagram of Martha 123; it’s a white plane with red logos. There aren’t many places inside the plane that use red materials. Among the few I can remember, this part doesn’t look like any of them. If I guessed correctly, this should be part of the plane’s exterior surface. But as for which specific part… I really don’t know much about the ATR-72.”

So he couldn’t guess.

Zhuo Huan gave a soft “Oh.” He looked down at the small part in his hand and put it back.

“The design drawings for the ATR-72 have been sent over.”

Fu Cheng looked at the man in front of him in astonishment.

Zhuo Huan raised his eyebrows at him: “Want to take a look?”

ATR is an aircraft manufacturing company jointly ventured by France and Italy.

The ATR-72 is its flagship twin-turboprop aircraft, with global sales exceeding 300 units. It first flew in 1988 and is commonly used as a civil airliner. Unlike most civil airliners, its baggage compartment is in the front of the cabin, and passengers generally enter the plane from the rear.

This type of twin-turboprop aircraft has low fuel consumption, is lighter, and is suitable for short-haul flights.

Lord Zhuo said such earth-shattering words in such a plain tone that even Fu Cheng, calm and composed as he was, was shocked into silence.

The design drawings of the ATR-72…

Lord Zhuo had them.

Lord Zhuo, he, had them.

Fu Cheng: “…”

The next moment, he couldn’t help saying, “Although the ATR-72 is almost out of production now, its design drawings are still commercial secrets. ATR Company… sent the design drawings directly?”

Is the name Zhuo Huan so influential among European aircraft manufacturers?!

Zhuo Huan raised an eyebrow slightly: “Who said ATR Company gave them?”

Fu Cheng: “Mn?”

Zhuo Huan: “I haven’t disassembled one, but someone has. These are just drawings roughly restored based on the disassembled aircraft parts. The precision is far less than the original version, but if you want to understand this plane, it is enough.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t have imagined that in this world, there was more than one capitalist who disassembled planes besides Lord Zhuo.

If Su Fei and Old Joseph were here, they would definitely curse with deep hatred: Damn rich people.

Fu Cheng was silent for a long time. He looked up and chuckled softly: “Okay.”

The best direction to investigate an aircraft accident is to thoroughly understand the aircraft.

When they were in Helsinki, Finland, and everyone was at a loss about how to investigate the JAL 917 case, Zhuo Huan directed his spearhead straight at the engine because that plane was an F435. If anyone is the person who understands McFly aircraft best in the world, Zhuo Huan is definitely one of them.

Too familiar; closing his eyes, it was as if it were right in front of him.

Thus, every inch, every millimeter of error was magnified ten thousand times, clearly visible.

That incongruous abruptness is probably the so-called intuition of an aircraft designer.

For three whole days, Zhuo Huan and Fu Cheng studied the ATR-72 design drawings. An aircraft worth hundreds of millions has thousands upon thousands of parts for each component. Trying to understand it clearly was as difficult as ascending to heaven. However, they didn’t have much time left.

Every day, countless media outlets followed the investigation trends of the Martha Flight 123 accident. On Twitter and Facebook, the number of netizens following this matter increased daily.

Truffaut—this surname was enough to give this extremely ordinary air crash extraordinary attention. People cared about the truth behind the death of the wealthy heir, and they also cared deeply about what would become of the Truffaut Group after losing its heir.

On the fourth day after the crash, the autopsy reports of the two pilots came out. Fu Cheng and Gao Yun went to get the autopsy reports together. When they returned to the candy factory, Zhuo Huan was holding a printed diagram of aircraft parts, comparing them one by one against the shattered wreckage of Martha 123.

Seeing Fu Cheng and the other return, he lifted his head from the pile of parts: “How are the autopsy results?”

Fu Cheng looked up at him. His lips moved slightly, but before he spoke, Zhuo Huan understood his meaning. He scoffed: “No drinking, no drug driving, no sudden illness. Except for sub-health conditions, no other suspicious points.”

Fu Cheng: “…Mn.”

This answer was boring and meaningless. Zhuo Huan withdrew his gaze without hesitation. Sitting on a high industrial ladder, he looked up at the parts placed high on the shelf. His already long hair seemed to have grown longer; its owner had absolutely no intention of cutting it, just casually smoothing it back and tying it with a crude rubber band.

“Teacher Zhuo,” Fu Cheng called out softly.

The hand Zhuo Huan used to hold the design drawing paused slightly. He lowered his head, looking down at the young man standing on the ground.

Fu Cheng looked at him with a calm expression: “I have good news and bad news to tell you. Which one do you want to hear first?”

Hearing this, a very faint smile appeared on Zhuo Huan’s cool, handsome face.

“Oh? I also have good news and bad news to tell you. Which one do you want to hear first?”

Fu Cheng was stunned.

Four eyes met. For a long while, no one spoke first.

Gao Yun on the side couldn’t bear it anymore and said, “Why not say it together? Major Fu, let’s speak first. After we finish, we’ll listen to Mr. Zhuo. How about that?”

Fu Cheng: “Okay.”

Zhuo Huan stopped scrutinizing the aircraft wreckage parts. He sat at the very top of the ladder, looking seriously at the young man on the ground.

Fu Cheng lowered his eyes and said in an indifferent tone: “The good news is that after EASA’s special investigation order came down, Old Joseph met with the senior management of Martha Airlines in London. Why these two pilots were not employees of Martha Airlines, and why this plane was not under Martha Airlines’ name—we now know the answer. And the bad news is…” He looked up at Zhuo Huan: “This answer is the same as what you said, simple and ridiculous.”

Gao Yun listened to this from the side, feeling somewhat confused. He looked blankly at Fu Cheng, then at Zhuo Huan. He didn’t know that as early as three days ago, Zhuo Huan had proposed a possibility.

And now, it was Zhuo Huan’s turn to speak.

A prolonged “Oh” became even more drawn out due to the overly empty environment of the candy factory warehouse.

Zhuo Huan said in a flat tone: “Shell company. A company possessing only one aircraft, lacking any airline qualifications, but established cooperation with a legitimate airline. Martha Airlines sold tickets for them and provided them with parking slots at airports. And from beginning to end, what they possessed…”

Pausing, Zhuo Huan said indifferently: “What they possessed was just one plane and two pilots.”

When Fu Cheng and Gao Yun heard the truth from Old Joseph on the phone, they both felt it was extremely absurd.

However, when Zhuo Huan said it in such an ordinary tone, Fu Cheng suddenly felt that this matter wasn’t so unacceptable.

There are no coincidences in air crashes.

At the moment Martha 123 crashed into the mountainside, long before that, bleached white bones had already paved its road of no return to hell. These white bones were torn alive from the bodies of the victims by Martha Airlines, taken by the shell company, and paved one by one, dripping with blood.

It was the imperfect laws and regulations of the European aviation industry, the eagerness of capitalists.

This was never an accident.

This was a long-premeditated murder.

After a long while.

Fu Cheng: “Yes. What about your good news and bad news?”

Zhuo Huan clapped his hands and jumped down from the ladder. He walked up to Fu Cheng: “This afternoon I found the co-pilot’s rudder pedals.”

Fu Cheng: “?”

Zhuo Huan: “The good news is, although the black box data hasn’t been downloaded yet, through the final stuck position of the co-pilot’s rudder pedals, it can be determined with ninety percent probability that it wasn’t pilot error that caused the crash. Until the very last moment the plane hit the mountain, they were still trying to save it. It’s just that, with my understanding of the ATR-72, Co-pilot Gerard Truffaut was indeed not an excellent pilot; his method of saving it didn’t change the plane’s crash in any way.” After thinking about it, Zhuo Huan added, “However, in a situation of fatigue driving and without much experience, it is indeed very difficult to make a correct and reasonable response immediately.”

“What about the bad news?”

“Bad news?”

Zhuo Huan slowly hooked up the corners of his mouth. He turned around, looking at the aircraft wreckage fragments piled up all over the warehouse.

“Have you ever put together a plane?”

Fu Cheng was stunned, and suddenly an ominous premonition surged.

Zhuo Huan rubbed his chin: “I always feel something isn’t quite right… So, let’s piece this plane back together.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

Gao Yun: “…”

The EASA investigator who was close by and accidentally heard this: “…”

Listen! Is this human language?!

Author’s Note:

Zhuo Rest-in-Peace: Have you ever played jigsaw puzzles?
Fu Chengcheng: Yes.
Zhuo Rest-in-Peace: Then you must really like putting together airplanes.
Fu Chengcheng: ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

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