Flight to You Episode 16 Recap
> Flight to You Recap
Engineers were instructed to work overnight to replace all tires on the B-925Q aircraft involved in the incident. Cheng Xiao arrived at the scene to check on the plane, which she affectionately called “Q.” She apologized to the engineers for causing them to work late, but they reassured her it was part of their job. Ni Zhan arrived and complimented Cheng Xiao on her timely turn during the incident, stating that otherwise, “Q” would have been severely damaged.
He advised her not to blame herself, as the conflict was largely deemed Youji Airline's responsibility. He also encouraged her to prepare for the upcoming investigation and told her to call him "Zhan" instead of "Mr. Ni." A simulation engineer arrived early to assist Jiang Tao and Lin Yicheng in a simulated recreation of the accident. Their simulation showed that braking would have stopped the plane with a safe distance of approximately 30 meters from the other aircraft.
Jiang Tao believed this proved his judgment that braking was the safer option that would have completely averted the incident. Meanwhile, Li Yuheng accompanied Xia Zhi to report a problem with a restroom door lock to Ai Jia. Later, Gu Nanting called Xie Zetian for a private meeting. Xie Zetian, having just concluded an accident investigation meeting that confirmed Youji Airline's brake system malfunction was at fault, expressed surprise that Gu Nanting had called him.
Gu Nanting admitted to violating company rules by rushing onto the plane to save Cheng Xiao. Xie Zetian remarked that while he normally held safety paramount, Gu Nanting had finally learned that safety protocols, no matter how meticulously designed, could be rigid and fail to account for human factors. He recognized Gu Nanting's actions were driven by an uncontrollable impulse.
Xie Zetian then probed Gu Nanting about Cheng Xiao, noting he had previously thought Gu Nanting was close to Li Yuheng, whose choice to become a flight attendant in Luzhou was clearly motivated by feelings for Gu Nanting. Gu Nanting explained he viewed Li Yuheng as a younger sister, while Cheng Xiao was merely one of his students.
Xie Zetian, however, urged Gu Nanting to look into his heart and address such personal "life lessons," warning that indecisiveness could hurt everyone involved. That night, a restless Gu Nanting got up to exercise. The next morning, he asked Song to return a medal to Cheng Xiao, with Song noting that Gu Nanting had saved her the day before yesterday.
In turn, Cheng Xiao sent Gu Nanting a thank-you breakfast consisting of a glutinous rice ball and a waffle, delivered by Song. Gu Nanting initially balked at the high calorie count but promised Song he would eat it and run five extra laps. Meanwhile, Ai Jia brought Xia Zhi to report the cabin door lock issue to Liang Yue Ru. Xia Zhi apologized for her negligence, admitting she had not stayed to perform a final cabin check.
Liang Yue Ru was furious, highlighting Xia Zhi's inconsistent performance and suggesting she change positions or even companies. Ai Jia, despite receiving a major demerit herself for her lack of control over the crew, fiercely pleaded for Xia Zhi. Liang Yue Ru finally relented, suspending Xia Zhi from flying for a week and placing her under the supervision of Inspector Liu upon her return. Devastated, Xia Zhi was comforted by Li Yuheng, who offered to take her out for skewers.
The Joint Investigation Team concluded that Youji Airline was fully responsible for the accident. However, the incident, which resulted in an injury to a public figure, Duan Chao, had caused significant negative social impact, prompting an internal meeting at Luzhou Airlines. Jiang Tao recounted the events, claiming Cheng Xiao had violated his "maintain middle line, immediately brake" command by turning, which led to the injuries and aircraft damage.
Cheng Xiao immediately refuted this, asserting that she had begun her turning maneuver almost simultaneously with Jiang Tao's command. She requested the cockpit recording be played, which confirmed that less than a second had elapsed between the two actions. Jiang Tao then presented a recording of his simulation, demonstrating that braking would have stopped the plane safely 30 meters away.
When asked for his opinion, Gu Nanting praised Cheng Xiao's courage for saving a passenger but stated he could not judge her flight actions based on the current information. Xie Zetian announced that the investigation would continue and suspended Cheng Xiao from flying for a week. Cheng Xiao accepted the suspension but firmly maintained her decision was correct and vowed to prove it. Later, Gu Nanting caught up with Cheng Xiao, reassuring her not to feel burdened.
Cheng Xiao expressed her desire to use the simulator to verify her actions with data, and Gu Nanting agreed to assist her. Cheng Xiao also spoke with Ai Jia, asking her to continue guiding Xia Zhi, to which Ai Jia agreed. The incident gained further public attention when Duan Chao posted on Weibo about his fractured neck, blaming the "terrible" skills of the Luzhou Airlines pilot. Reporters swarmed the company entrance.
Jiang Tao, seeing the commotion, instructed Lin Yicheng to take him out through the back door, dismissing the need for a public relations response. Gu Nanting accompanied Cheng Xiao to the simulator, where they carefully recreated the incident's conditions, with Gu Nanting instructing Cheng Xiao to wait for his "conflict" cue to replicate Jiang Tao's delayed reaction. Despite three attempts, the simulations all replicated Jiang Tao's results. Feeling disheartened, Cheng Xiao worried she might be reassigned.
Gu Nanting, however, affirmed her choice, explaining that simulators cannot perfectly replicate a pilot's instinctive reactions in a real emergency. He then revealed that he had requested the cockpit voice recorder data be combined with the flight data recorder. He explained that this could precisely prove her claim that she initiated the turn simultaneously with the braking command, meaning she hadn't violated any orders.
Relieved, Cheng Xiao playfully joked that in ancient times, she would have had to marry him for saving her life, much to Gu Nanting's flustered amusement. Meanwhile, Li Yuheng and Xia Zhi found Song moving out of his apartment due to a water leak. Li Yuheng offered him their spare room. A reluctant Xia Zhi agreed but set three strict conditions: Song must do all household chores, collect their deliveries, and never touch her food. Song readily agreed.
The next morning, Li Yuheng went to the company early to study, admitting to Song that she worried her presence would make the grounded Xia Zhi feel awkward. While suspended, Xia Zhi started a live stream to interact with her followers. Cheng Xiao tried to transfer money to Gu Nanting for the simulator fees, but he declined. Later, Ni Zhan visited Gu Nanting, informing him that someone had posted the flight's land-air communications online.
Aviation bloggers were interpreting the audio to suggest Cheng Xiao had "acted without permission," causing the passenger's injury. Ni Zhan expressed concern that the incident could escalate and be detrimental to Cheng Xiao.
