Indian Pilot Recounts Fight for Life During FlyDubai Cockpit Attack

Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot for FlyDubai, described his harrowing experience of fighting for his life after his co-pilot allegedly stabbed him and initiated a steep descent of their Boeing 737. The flight, carrying 182 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Speaking from an Abu Dhabi hospital where he is recovering, Machchhar told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a televised call that his 17 years of flying experience allowed him to sense the plane's alarming descent even after being incapacitated. "I was fighting for my life. At one point, I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives," he recounted, his voice breaking.

Machchhar, who has 11 years of experience as a captain, managed to open the cockpit door after the attack. This allowed passengers to enter and restrain the assailant, identified by Israeli authorities as an Omani national. Machchhar has been widely praised as a hero for his actions, with world leaders commending him for averting a potential disaster.

Modi lauded Machchhar's "courage, patience, and presence of mind" in saving the lives aboard the aircraft. During the intense moments of the attack, Machchhar said he recited the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn, seeking strength and courage.

FlyDubai confirmed the incident on Wednesday, stating that the aircraft was secured by on-duty crew members who safely diverted and landed the plane. Witnesses and Israeli authorities indicated that the co-pilot was a trainee. The motive behind the attack remains unclear, and the Omani national is reportedly under interrogation in Saudi Arabia.

Pilots are trained to take over control if a crew member becomes incapacitated, but such training does not typically prepare them for a violent physical assault by a colleague, according to Philip Kean, CEO of Mainland Air, the New Zealand flight school where Machchhar trained. "Nobody would expect … a person to have a go at you like that," Kean said.