"I couldn't let this happen" – Indian pilot shares what happened
Flydubai flight captain Smith Machchhar regained consciousness and spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video call.
"I could not let this happen" – Indian pilot tells what happened
Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv came close to ending in disaster: the co-pilot attacked the captain with a knife, and according to preliminary data, he wanted to crash the plane. There were 174 passengers on board, most of whom were Israeli citizens. The passengers, together with the crew members, managed to neutralize the co-pilot and land the plane. However, they were only able to intervene in the situation thanks to the bravery of the wounded captain, Smit Machchhar — despite being injured, he opened the cockpit door.
The captain of the Flydubai aircraft, Indian national Smit Machchhar, who survived the attack by the co-pilot during the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, regained consciousness in the hospital and spoke for the first time about what happened. He spoke via video link from a hospital in Abu Dhabi with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Machchhar recalls lying wounded on the floor after the co-pilot's attack and feeling as if the plane was crashing. Then, gathering his last strength, he tried to open the cockpit door from the inside.
Machchhar said that even though he was in agony, he realized that other people could also die with him:
At that moment, I was fighting for my own life. I fell and understood what would happen if I didn't get up. I was seriously injured, but I could not let others die too... I am a pilot with 17 years of experience, and I have been a captain for 11 years. I know what is happening on the plane even with my eyes closed.
Lying on the floor, I could understand that the plane was diving. Then I said to myself: this is the last resort, Smit. The door is right next to you, just open it. Despite him pulling me back and forth, I managed to do it, and people rushed in.
He emphasized that everyone who helped made their own important contribution to this deed.
Modi praised Machchhar for his "bravery, endurance, and quick decision-making" and noted that this decision saved many lives.
The whole country can say with pride: "we are Indians who save people, not those who deprive them of life."
Smit thanked him for the call: