Apropos the news report 'Pilot fights off co-pilot, saves flydubai flight' (October 1, 2026). A cockpit is meant to be the calmest room in the sky, so a fight inside it unsettles us more than turbulence ever could. Captain Smit Machchhar, wounded yet unyielding, helped save 174 lives, including 27 children, and India can be proud of him. The passengers and crew who stepped forward deserve equal thanks. Still, the account rests largely on Israeli media and officials, and the co-pilot's nationality and motive remain allegations, not findings. One person's act must never stain an entire community. The wiser lesson is that locks keep out strangers but cannot stop trouble already seated inside. Airlines should offer confidential counselling, fearless peer reporting and regular drills for a hostile pilot, and investigators should share their conclusions openly.
K CHIDANAND KUMAR, Bengaluru
