Rob adjusted his headphones and concentrated. Lives depended on his job.
‘Jesus, it’s not responding.’
The screams of engines were swamped by an unknown crashing object, dislodged by the shuddering, tortured airframe.
‘Feathering engine two.’
‘Fuck, oil pressure critical on one – max power!’
‘Pull up, damn you. Pull fucking UP!’
A metallic tearing sound screeched like a disemboweled animal.
‘Shi …’
Silence.
No last words to family or loved ones. It was always the same. No time for anything, just the curses of doomed pilots, fighting their dying machines to the very last.
Rob switched off the flight recording, the dead pilots last words echoing inside his head. At least the recording had pinpointed the exact time the airframe broke up. And that alone made their sacrifice worthwhile. It was the clue that would lead to the saving of many other lives.
Hilary Robertshaw
Phew… powerful stuff in so few words.
One little niggle..? I fell over your last sentence. Maybe “And Rob clung to that thought…” would be better?
Just a thought.
Hxx
LoveMy7Cs
Another strong piece. What a profession to have.
Never thought of the weight these people must feel in their job.
Also…
We get so used to words in their “natural order”.
It can mess up what we may think is the proper flow.
Mixing them up can be a good thing.
Micky McGuinness
Quite chilling, it made me feel very uncomfortable. A great achievement in 143 words!
I only have one very minor suggestion; I would have written “And that thought Rob clung to – it might just be the clue that saves other lives” as “And that thought, Rob clung to; it might just be the clue that saves other lives”. You could easily keep the hyphen, but I still think it needs the comma.
Peter Davidson
Thanks Hilary, LM7C and Micky. You’re all correct. I couldn’t form that last sentence right and it’s got to be fixed.
I used to do photographic work for the Air Accident people and got to know them. I asked if they ever heard ‘last words’ stuff on tapes. ‘No,’ they told me, ‘just a lot of frustrated swearing …’
olawunmi
This makes your heart race…and leaves you with a rash of goose pimples too…What a great piece Peter!
Peter Davidson replied
Thanks!
Natella2020
What I really admired was the knowledge behind this piece. It’s one I could never have written.
I really liked it.
Peter Davidson replied
Another world … Thanks!
Miri
wow – makes you swallow – hard! like it
JaneAParis
What a job to listen to another’s last words, and swear words at that. What a way to go out. Cursing and broken up. I can relate. Good writing. Smiles from Jane.