Ok, I'd agree with that.

Funny, because for whatever its worth (another one of those wretched clichés!), your description of the story shows a lot of the classical elements of story telling (from Aristotle’s Poetics). You have, most importantly, Anagnorisis - the pilot making a critical decision or self discovery (and even more importantly - through a dialogue!) and of course Catharsis -  the plane crashing into the airport.

Now, I’m not suggesting you studied and applied this knowledge to your story. But I think that is kind of the point. The way people tell stories (everywhere) follows a pattern outside of us even realizing what we’re doing. But we are also constantly exposed to story telling - through songs, through television, through reading, even through conversation. And unless you’re living in a complete vacuum (and I doubt that is true ), you are inevitably influenced by others and their stories.

As for being anti-conformist, you have my full support there!

First let me say that I wasn’t trying to diminish the value of your story by suggesting it conforms to some very basic elements of story telling (because I don’t think it does diminish it). I also wasn’t suggesting that you go and read Aristotle, or that you go and study narratology, or (shudder) that you pick up a Stephen King.
I just wanted to point out that we are all influenced by everything around us, and that reading something does not simply equate to adopting it. In fact it can also have the opposite effect.

For myself, as an example, I spent a good three or four years avoiding fiction. And even though I knew I wanted to be a writer (in fact, because of it) I flat out refused to study English or journalism. I wanted my voice to be my own and, similar to what you are saying here, I didn’t want to end up having a regurgitated literary voice. Now, I can’t say if it worked, but I am happy with my own writer’s voice. And now I have no problem delving into fiction because I know that I can only learn from it, without the fear that it will destroy my voice. Most importantly, I enjoy it.

Now, clearly, I’m not saying you should do the same. So just to repeat what everyone has agreed with: it is not the same for everyone, and reading does not equate to plagiarizing.

That said, I still avoid “Writing Manuals” like the plague.