Flydubai pilot Machchhar foils cockpit attack and saves 182 passengers
Indian Captain Smit Machchhar overcame severe stab wounds to prevent an assault by a co-pilot in the cockpit. The Boeing 737 was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv and was diverted to Saudi Arabia.
Pilot with stab wounds saves 182 people on aircraft
According to WELT, Indian airline captain Smit Machchhar thwarted a knife attack by a co-pilot in the cockpit of a Flydubai aircraft, thereby preserving the lives of 182 passengers. Machchhar, who is being treated in a hospital in Abu Dhabi, reported on the incident on Friday in a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Boeing 737 was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday but was diverted for an emergency landing in Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia. The Omani co-pilot attacked Machchhar and severely injured him with a knife. Machchhar sustained deep wounds to his arm, neck and back of his head.
"I fought for my life," the pilot described the situation with his head bandaged from his hospital room. "At some point it became clear to me: if I don't get up, then the passengers would lose their lives." Despite considerable blood loss, Machchhar pulled himself up and managed to open the cockpit door. This enabled passengers to enter and overpower the attacker.
Machchhar, who has been a pilot for 17 years and has served as captain for eleven years, explained that he sensed the aircraft's descent speed through his body feeling, even though he was on the ground. "I have been flying aircraft for 17 years. I can feel exactly what is happening to an aircraft, even when my eyes are closed. When I was on the ground, I felt that the aircraft was descending."
A fellow passenger, dentist Shota Musaev, assisted the bleeding pilot with first-aid measures. "The pilot lost a lot of blood," Musaev told the British Daily Mail. "His arm was sliced open, as was his neck. He also had a very deep wound on the back of his head. The entire cockpit was full of blood." Musaev and other passengers kept Machchhar awake and stopped the bleeding with pieces of fabric.
The drama of the minutes following the attack was documented in videos that circulated on social networks. Passengers can be heard shouting to the pilot: "Stay awake, stay awake! Don't fall asleep!" Musaev later stated: "If the cockpit had remained locked, we probably would not have been able to do anything. It would have been a second 9/11."
Machchhar also told Modi that religious prayers gave him strength during the struggle. He recited a prayer honouring the monkey god Hanuman, who in Hindu tradition is invoked for courage and strength. "God Hanuman gave me courage," he told Modi.
The co-pilot was taken into custody in Saudi Arabia after the emergency landing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the attacker holds Omani citizenship. Israel is treating it as a planned terrorist attack. "His social media accounts clearly show that he has been radicalised by jihadist ideology. He talks about killing Jews," a Daily Mail report quoted an Israeli official.
After being overpowered, the co-pilot repeatedly asked the passengers to kill him. "He said nothing except to beg us: 'Kill me'," Musaev reported. Passengers bound his hands and feet.
Machchhar is married and has two children. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has worked for Flydubai for approximately four years. Before that, he worked for eleven years for SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost airline, and logged more than 9,750 flight hours there.
Philip Kean, managing director of New Zealand flight school Mainland Air, where Machchhar was trained, said that pilots typically train to take control if another crew member becomes incapacitated. However, a knife attack by a colleague is not part of standard training. "I don't think there is much in the handbook about being stabbed," Kean told news agency AP.
Prime Minister Modi praised Machchhar's actions, stating that the pilot's "courage, patience and presence of mind" had saved many lives. The incident demonstrates how the quick decisions of an experienced pilot can prevent a catastrophe even under extreme physical stress.
Source: WELT