‘You Can’t Die Like This’: Indian Pilot Smit Machchhar Recounts Cockpit Attack Aboard Flydubai Flight
The injured captain described how his survival instinct kicked in after he was allegedly attacked by his co-pilot aboard a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight on September 30.
DUBAI, Oct 17: Indian pilot Smit Machchhar has recounted the terrifying moments when he struggled to stay conscious after being attacked inside the cockpit of a flydubai aircraft, saying he urged himself to fight for his life.
“There was a moment that I realised and I told myself that ‘Smit, do something. You can’t die like this’,” Machchhar said in an interview with Sky News Arabia. Excerpts from the interview were shared on the news channel’s social media accounts on Saturday.
Machchhar sustained serious injuries after being struck on the back of his head while checking his computer in the cockpit. He said he repeatedly lost consciousness during the ordeal.
“Later on in the event, I was in and out of consciousness frequently,” he recalled during the interview, which was filmed while he was recovering in a hospital bed in the UAE.
The Indian captain also praised the colleague who took control of the aircraft during the emergency, describing his actions as commendable and saying he would remember them for the rest of his life.
In another interview with UAE-based publication The National, Machchhar said his response was driven by an instinct to survive.
“It was like a survival instinct, which kicked in, and thankfully it did for me and all my other passengers and colleagues,” he said.
Excerpts from both interviews were shared on social media on Saturday. The full interviews were scheduled to be broadcast at 9 pm Abu Dhabi time, or 10.30 pm IST.
The incident took place on September 30 aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with more than 170 people on board.
According to the allegations, the Omani co-pilot attacked Machchhar inside the cockpit using an emergency crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
The UAE attorney general said the investigation had found that the co-pilot allegedly planned to seize control of the plane and crash it into the passenger terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv as part of a suicide attack. The investigation remains ongoing.
Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, enabling another pilot, cabin crew members and passengers to intervene and restrain the alleged attacker.
Other pilots on board subsequently took control of the aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
The co-pilot was taken into custody. Machchhar received initial medical treatment at a hospital in Tabuk before being transferred to Abu Dhabi for further care.
On October 6, the Indian Embassy said the captain was making “steady progress” and recovering his health.
Machchhar’s actions have drawn international recognition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have praised his courage during the emergency.
