Heroic FlyDubai Pilot Recounts Mid-Flight Attack to Indian PM

Captain Smit Machchhar, the FlyDubai pilot who was stabbed by his co-pilot during a mid-flight attack, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he was "fighting for my life" before managing to open the cockpit door. The incident caused the aircraft to plunge more than 14,000 feet in 30 seconds.

"It was a moment when I thought, because I had fallen on the floor, I was wounded and fell down. At that moment I thought if I don't get up, I've been flying for the last 17 years and I have been a captain for the last 11 years, and even if I shut my eyes, I can tell what is happening inside a plane," Machchhar recounted to Modi during a phone call. "When I was lying on the floor, I could feel that the aircraft was plunging and I said to myself while I was getting beaten, 'this is the last push Smit, do it, the door is right there.'"

Machchhar's actions allowed Israeli passengers to enter the cockpit, subdue the co-pilot, and regain control of the aircraft. The plane was safely landed in Saudi Arabia by a second flight crew, and Machchhar was subsequently taken to a hospital in the UAE for recovery.

Prime Minister Modi commended Machchhar's bravery, telling him that the entire nation was praying for his recovery. "You endured so many wounds on your body and you are fighting a battle of life and death. In that moment as well, you did not think of your life, rather thought about the lives of the passengers," Modi said. "And the biggest thing is you enhanced the honor of 1.4 billion Indians and that is why I am feeling proud from my heart."

Machchhar, who sustained stab wounds to the head and a severe arm injury, expressed confidence in his recovery. "I am not thinking about my wounds like typical wounds because that will hinder my recovery. I am taking these wounds like a journey which will progress slowly and it will take time, but I am very confident that this recovery will happen and I will be absolutely healthy," he told Modi. He also credited his faith, saying, "Whenever I'm in pain, I know only one thing, I chant the Hanuman Chalisa. I know that God saved me."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously praised Machchhar's actions, noting that the pilot showed "the highest form of courage" and prevented a potential tragedy akin to 9/11. Machchhar stated that he is recovering and is "fine and everything is all right."