Indian Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar has spoken publicly for the first time since an alleged attack by his co-pilot on a flight to Tel Aviv, recounting how he opened the cockpit door in a final effort to save himself and the passengers aboard the aircraft.
Machchhar, who was speaking from his hospital bed during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said he realised the aircraft was descending while he was seriously injured and knew he had to act quickly.
“I was trying to save my own life, but I knew I could not let all those people die,” Machchhar told Modi, according to a video posted by the Indian Prime Minister on social media.
The Boeing 737, operated by Dubai-based Flydubai, was carrying 174 passengers when the alleged confrontation occurred on Wednesday.
Machchhar, who has 17 years of aviation experience, including 11 years as a captain, said he had suffered multiple injuries and collapsed during the struggle.
“I had suffered so many injuries that I had collapsed. At that time, I could feel that the aircraft was going down. I knew this was the last push, that the door was right there,” he said.
“I was being hit even then, but I just opened the door and everyone came in.”
Passengers subsequently rushed into the cockpit and helped restrain the co-pilot as the aircraft plunged sharply.
According to Flightradar24, the plane lost about 17,000 feet in altitude within a minute before eventually making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
‘God himself saved me’
Machchhar also told Modi that he recited a Hindu devotional prayer dedicated to Hanuman during the ordeal.
“I know God himself saved me,” he said.
The captain said his years of aviation experience helped him understand what was happening despite the injuries he had sustained.
The precise circumstances surrounding the confrontation remain under investigation.
The co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar, triggering a struggle for control of the aircraft before passengers intervened.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier praised Machchhar and the passengers for helping prevent what he described as a potential catastrophe.
Modi praises injured pilot
During the video call, Modi told Machchhar that his actions had helped save many lives.
“You have done such a great thing that people across the country and around the world are eager to see you and speak to you,” Modi said.
“You have truly made the whole country proud.”
Machchhar became emotional during the conversation and said the incident was the first time since the attack that he had felt proud of himself.
“I am feeling very proud right now. I had not felt proud of myself until now,” he said.
With his head wrapped in bandages and a breathing tube visible beneath his nose, Machchhar acknowledged that his recovery would take time but expressed confidence that he would regain his health.
“I am not thinking of it as a wound; I am thinking of it as a journey,” he said.
“And it will take time, but I am very, very confident that I will recover.”
The incident has triggered investigations by authorities in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, while questions remain over the motive for the alleged cockpit attack.
