Stabbed by his co-pilot on board a Flydubai flight to Israel, Indian captain Smit Machchhar told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday October 2 that he had acted to protect the passengers by managing, in “a last-ditch effort”, to open the cockpit.
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“I was trying to save my life, but I knew I couldn’t let all these people die,” Smit Machchhar said from his hospital bed during a call with Narendra Modi, whose services relayed the video on social networks.
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The plane was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 people on board, including 166 Israelis according to media reports, when the confrontation took place on Wednesday.
Smit Machchhar, a pilot for 17 years and captain for 11 years, recounted how he realized the plane was falling while he was lying injured, and how he reacted in a last-ditch effort.
“I had (…) so many injuries that I collapsed. That’s when I felt the plane was falling. I knew it was my last chance and that the door was right there,” he said.
“I was still getting beaten at that point, but I just opened the door and everyone came in.”
Smit Machchhar said his years of experience allowed him to understand what was happening despite his injuries.
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The exact circumstances of the confrontation between the two pilots are under investigation. The co-pilot allegedly attacked Smit Machchhar, injuring him and sparking a fight to take control of the plane.
Passengers intervened to prevent the crash of Flydubai’s Boeing, which ultimately made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Narendra Modi estimated that his “immense courage” made it possible to save hundreds of lives and avoid “a great tragedy”. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, also praised his “extraordinary courage” and for having thus “avoided a catastrophe in mid-flight” on Wednesday.
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Passengers said that once the door opened, they entered the cockpit and a struggle for control ensued, after the plane suddenly nosedived, losing about 17,000 feet of altitude in the space of a minute, according to the website Flightradar24.
With AFP
