Flydubai Pilot Recounts Stabbing Attack, Opening Cockpit Door to Save Passengers

Captain Smit Machchhar, a flydubai pilot, has recounted the harrowing experience of being stabbed by his co-pilot and his subsequent actions to save the 174 passengers aboard the flight. Speaking from a hospital bed, Machchhar described how, despite sustaining multiple wounds, he fought to open the cockpit door.

"I fell to the floor and felt that the plane was sinking. I knew that if I could give one last push and open the door, I could save everyone," Machchhar said in an account shared by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "At that moment I was fighting for my life. It was a moment when I realised that if I didn't act... because I was already wounded, I had many wounds... I had to do something."

The incident occurred on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing. Machchhar, originally from Mumbai, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and subdue the attacker. He has been widely praised as a hero for preventing a potential catastrophe.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the attacker, an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia and was being interrogated. Netanyahu suggested that the co-pilot had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and appeared to be suicidal, potentially intending to down the plane.

During the intense moments of the attack, Machchhar recited the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn, seeking strength and courage. "Lord Hanuman gave me courage," he told Prime Minister Modi, becoming emotional. Modi responded by acknowledging the gravity of the situation and the pilot's bravery.

Machchhar, who has worked for flydubai for approximately four years, previously spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he accumulated over 9,750 flying hours. He expressed his commitment to recovery, viewing his injuries as part of a journey. "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."

One of the passengers who aided in restraining the attacker was Dr. Musaev, a Georgian dentist. He recounted how passengers heard shouts of "Knife! Knife!" before realizing the gravity of the situation. Musaev and other passengers rushed to the cockpit, pulled the attacker out, and restrained him. He noted that the attacker pleaded to be killed.

Musaev also described assisting the injured captain, who pleaded for his life. "The pilot was losing a lot of blood," he said. "His arm was badly slashed, as was his neck, and he had a very deep wound at the back of his head. Everything in the cockpit was covered in blood, but he was conscious. We were effectively left without first-aid supplies. Somehow, we managed to stop the bleeding with pieces of cloth."

The flight experienced a sharp descent of more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds during the incident, according to flight-tracking data. The United Arab Emirates has launched an investigation into the circumstances and motives behind the attack.