The Indian pilot of a Flydubai aircraft has recounted how he fought to regain control of the cockpit after being stabbed by his co-pilot, saying he was determined not to let other passengers die.
Captain Smit Machchhar said he was lying injured on the cockpit floor while still being attacked when he realised the aircraft, carrying more than 170 passengers, was rapidly losing altitude and he needed to act.
“I was lying on the floor injured but I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside,” Machchhar said during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Others came in and also played a role [in controlling the situation]. I was of course fighting for my own life but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die,” he added.
Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv early on Wednesday, plunged more than 17,000 feet about two and a half hours into the journey. The aircraft first sent an emergency signal to air traffic controllers before switching to squawk code 7500, which indicates a hijacking.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said one pilot had stabbed the other before “apparently trying to crash” the aircraft. After passengers overpowered the attacker, two reserve pilots who were onboard safely landed the plane at Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia at 06:58 local time.
Machchhar was taken to a hospital in Tabuk before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi, where he is reported to be in stable condition. Netanyahu has hailed him as a “true hero”.
Netanyahu told Fox News that the attacker was an Omani national and said investigations indicated he had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”. He also said the attacker called out to the aircrew to “kill me” after being subdued and restrained by passengers and crew, describing the behaviour as evidence that he was suicidal.
The United Arab Emirates has launched an investigation into whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose, according to the country’s state news agency.
Machchhar, who has been praised by the Indian government and widely celebrated on social media, told Modi that he had been flying aircraft for 17 years and could recognise what was happening to a plane “even with my eyes closed”.
Modi told the pilot that his “courage, patience and quick decision-making” had saved the lives of many people and said the country was proud of him.
The Indian Embassy in the UAE said on Thursday that Machchhar was “in good health and recovering well”. India’s Ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, also praised the pilot’s bravery after meeting him.
Reflecting on his injuries, Machchhar said he was focused on recovery rather than viewing the wounds as setbacks.
“I am not looking at this wound like a wound because that would make my recovery even more difficult,” he said.
“I am looking at it as a journey which is slowly going on and will take time but I am confident that the recovery will be there and I will become fit and healthy again.”
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