77
The instant the call was over, Jon pulled the engines to idle and began to slalom the plane back and forth in a steep dive.
Holly had returned to the copilot’s seat and was calling out the altimeter readings from her dial.
“Thirty-five thousand. Thirty thousand. Twenty-five thousand.”
“Now,” he and Holly called out in unison.
Tim got on the radio. “Vostochny Tower. Vostochny Tower. This is Antonov AN-one-two-four military flight eight-niner. We’ve lost power and control. We are in a steep dive. I’m declaring an emergency.” His voice was rock steady because a military operator wouldn’t panic.
The tower responded immediately. “Roger Eight-niner. We have you on radar. three-zero-five kilometers north-northwest. Confirm you are declaring an emergency.”
“Confirming emergency. Engine r
