India, Jan. 22 -- The DGCA report ought to be a serious red flag for the airline; it rules out systemic, procedural or process failures, or any acute shortage of personnel. It lays the blame almost squarely on human negligence or incompetence - or a combination of the two - indicting specific members of the airline's top management. Even as this piece went to press, a parallel investigation was under way at the behest of the airline's board to examine the root causes behind the meltdown.

It is widely expected that the board will take some hard decisions based on both inquiries, holding those found culpable accountable, since the episode resulted in not just financial losses but a severe loss of face for the company. Unfortunately for Ind...