A hero captain who was stabbed by his co-pilot, yet managed to save 174 passengers from disaster on Wednesday’s FlyDubai flight, has said he couldn’t let others die.
Smit Machchhar, seen with a tube in his nose and bandages on his head and hands, spoke to Indian PM Narendra Modi from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi during a nearly 10-minute clip released on the prime minister’s social media channels.
He described how he opened the cockpit door of the plane while being attacked.
‘I fell to the floor and felt that the plane was sinking. I knew that if I could give one last push and open the door, I could save everyone,’ he said.
‘At that moment I was fighting for my life. It was a moment when I realised that if I didn’t act… because I was already wounded, I had many wounds… I had to do something.’
‘I said to myself at that moment: if I don’t get up… while I was lying on the floor I could feel the plane sinking… the door was right there. Even though I was beaten, I managed to open it.’
‘Everyone took an equal part in this. What I did was to save my life, but at the same time I knew I couldn’t let everyone else die.’
Modi praised Machchhar’s bravery, saying his presence of mind saved lives and upheld the reputation of Indian pilots.
Smit Machchhar, seen with a tube in his nose and bandages on his head and hands, spoke to Indian PM Narendra Modi from a hospital bed
Machchhar, who is from India’s financial hub of Mumbai, was seriously injured in Wednesday’s attack but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 descended sharply.
He has been hailed as a hero for his actions, with world leaders saying he helped prevent a potential disaster.
The flight, carrying 182 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker, an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia and was undergoing interrogation there. His motive for the attack was not immediately clear.
Machchhar said that during those difficult moments, he recited the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Hanuman and traditionally recited as a prayer for strength and courage.
‘Lord Hanuman gave me courage,’ he told Modi, before getting emotional. ‘I feel so proud of myself, sorry for crying in front of you.’
Modi said in response: ‘If you don’t get emotional in front of me, in front of whom will you?’
Machchhar, who is married and has two children, has worked for FlyDubai for about four years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Before joining the airline, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain. He logged more than 9,750 flying hours with SpiceJet.
The Omani co-pilot who stabbed Machchhar had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and was clearly suicidal, Israel’s prime minister said Thursday.
‘We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination. That appears to be something we are gathering from his personal information,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News.
Two Israeli security officials said their initial assessment is that the co-pilot, identified by as an Omani national, was likely acting alone, though the investigation was still ongoing.
The flight plunged more than 14,000ft in less than 30 seconds during the incident as it flew over Saudi Arabia on the journey from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, according to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
Netanyahu said it was clear that the co-pilot who carried out the stabbing was suicidal.
‘It looks very likely that he was going to down the plane,’ Netanyahu said. Coupled with ‘the Islamist tendencies, that radicalisation that are found in his background, I think that’s… a pretty good clue,’ he said, without elaborating.
‘But again, I don’t make final conclusions yet. But that’s the indications we have now,’ he added.
The United Arab Emirates has started investigations seeking to establish the circumstances and motives and determine ‘whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose, or involved prior planning or direction’, the UAE state news agency reported on Thursday.
