M.Mohsin
The shadows of the night were deepening when passengers of PIA flight PK-306 settled into their seats at Karachi Airport. Among the passengers heading to Lahore, some were eager to meet their loved ones, while others were on the move to fulfill their dreams. Little did anyone know that this journey would put them through a test they would remember for the rest of their lives.
The plane took off from Karachi’s runway at 8 PM. As soon as the wheels left the ground, no one could have imagined that one of them had already disappeared forever. The aircraft was soaring through the vast skies, while on the ground, airport staff found scattered debris on the runway. No one paid attention to the possibility that some of those fragments might have belonged to the plane that had just taken off.
The flight continued as usual, but as the plane approached Lahore and prepared for landing, a warning alarm sounded in the cockpit. The pilot looked at his co-pilot in shock—one of the two front wheels was missing.
It was a moment no less than doomsday. The pilot took a deep breath and began strategizing how to keep the plane under control. In the cockpit, hushed whispers filled the air, but the passengers in the cabin remained unaware.
Some passengers were asleep, some were gazing out the window, and others were engrossed in their phones. Suddenly, the pilot’s voice echoed through the speakers.
“We are facing a minor technical issue, but there is no need to panic. We will land safely.”
However, the reality was that this was no minor issue. An emergency was declared at Lahore Airport.
Instantly fire brigades and ambulances rushed to the scene. The crew knew that if the plane went out of control, anything could happen.
The passengers’ heartbeats quickened as the plane began its descent. The pilot took one last deep breath, firmly gripped the controls, and in an extremely delicate moment, landed the plane on just one wheel.
For a moment, it seemed as though the plane might wobble, but the pilot’s skill prevailed. The wheel screeched and sparked, but the plane came to a halt. As soon as it stopped, silence fell over the cabin, followed by thunderous applause. The faces of the passengers, who had been teetering between life and death, showed a mix of astonishment, fear, and joy.
Later investigations revealed that the wheel had been damaged by a collision with a foreign object on Karachi Airport’s runway. But the question remained: why wasn’t this technical fault detected before the flight?
Are passengers’ lives truly in safe hands?
That night became an unforgettable chapter in the lives of all those passengers—an event they would never forget. And the pilot? He will likely always be remembered as a hero who, with his competence and skill, turned the impossible into possible.
