Cruising Altitude, No Looking Back - Episode 3

On board, Flight Operations director Mr. Carter publicly humiliates Captain Cole—now reduced to a sales attendant—after Cole demands a full manual inspection before takeoff. Carter trusts the latest smart safety-check system and orders Cole to brew coffee, insisting he stay in his lane. Cole argues a manual check is necessary for passenger safety. Carter escalates by invoking Cole’s father's past empennage failure that caused a mid-air breakup, threatens dismissal with no severance, and orders him off the plane. Cole explodes, then agrees to leave, leaving the inspection and safety unresolved.