Page 122 - Demo

120We set off down our final approach, with one squall to the left and another to the right, and only the centre section of the runway clear.As the non-flying pilot, my role was to manage the throttle settings and flap selection but, in addition on this occasion, I had been briefed to monitor the captain%u2019s actions, keep my eyes glued to the speed, and start turning off anything we didn%u2019t need as soon as we were on the runway.In spite of the difficult crosswind, we made a firm landing (which is what you want on a wet runway), on the centreline as near as damn it, and the captain deployed the parachute. Almost immediately, the aircraft turned left as the crosswind took effect and, in spite of full right rudder being applied, it seemed to take an age to start straightening up. No sooner had it done so than it snapped left again, at which point we jettisoned the parachute, having already lost some 50 knots of speed. However, the left undercarriage was now entering the water that had yet to clear from the runway edge so, without steering or effective brakes, we simply continued turning left and departed the runway.As we left the runway, I started turning off fuel pumps and anything else that could compound our situation, but effectively we were passengers as the Victor rumbled down Gan%u2019s golf course (only recently refurbished as we were later to discover), before coming to a halt pointing at the palm trees that fringed the beach. We rapidly completed our shutdown drills, and evacuated the aircraft just as the fire crew arrived. From the outside, the Victor looked a sad sight, up to its ankles in muddy water and with a series of furrows behind it leading back to the runway. However, we were unhurt, the aircraft was structurally undamaged, and far enough off the runway for the airfield to stay open, at least for the time being. I was reflecting on the truism that such events unfold in slow motion, when my reverie was broken by the roar of a VC10 transport aircraft departing, the story of which is a fitting conclusion. The VC10 was waiting to take off as we stumbled down finals, so the crew had a grandstand seat as events unfolded. Once the panic had subsided, air