Neerja Bhanot and the Making of a Hero

For the last few days, the world can’t stop talking about Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who survived the unimaginable. Passengers and crew said he battled a co-pilot on board who stabbed him; he then opened the cockpit door to allow them to subdue the attacker. The world has hailed him a hero.

Almost exactly 40 years ago, another Indian crew member became an international hero after a horrifying day on a plane. On September 5, 1986, four armed men stormed a Pan Am flight during a stop in Karachi, holding over 300 people hostage. Neerja Bhanot would save many lives that day — just not her own. People have told her story so many times that the most important details feel unquestionable. But as conspiracy theories continue to percolate about the flydubai flight, her story offers a window into what happens when a legend is made.