Captain Jason Vance expected nothing unusual when he took his seat in the cockpit that morning.
The flight looked like any other routine assignment. The weather was calm, visibility was good, and the aircraft had passed its expected checks without giving the crew any reason for concern. For Jason, it was the kind of journey that usually disappeared into the long list of ordinary flights pilots complete throughout their careers.
There were no threatening clouds on the horizon. No serious turbulence. No mechanical warnings.
Nothing suggested that, before long, everyone aboard the aircraft would be fighting to survive.
At first, the only unusual detail was a small group of birds flying in the distance.
Jason noticed them but did not immediately become alarmed. Birds occasionally appeared near aircraft after takeoff, and isolated encounters were not necessarily dangerous. He continued watching his instruments, maintaining the planned course and allowing the flight
