“I felt like the plane was going into a nosedive,” said Indian pilot Smit Machchhar during an emotional call with his country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, recalling the critical moment in which, seriously injured and stabbed, managed to open the cabin door of his Flydubai flight to save the passengers.
“I’ve been flying for 17 years, sir, and I’ve been a captain for 11 years. I can tell, even with my eyes closed, what is happening on the plane. When I was on the ground, I felt like the plane was going into a dive.“Machchhar narrated in the telephone conversation, broadcast this Friday.
“And I knew perfectly well that the door was right there, I just had to make one last effort to open it. And still they kept hitting me. I simply opened it, sir, and the others came in,” the pilot confessed to the Indian president.
Smit Machchhar, who is seen with a tube in his nose and bandages on his head and hands, spoke to Modi from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi during a nearly 10-minute video posted on the prime minister’s X account, wiping away tears as he recounted his experience.
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, stabbed on that Flydubai flight, He has been hailed as a hero by world leaders such as Donald Trump, Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahuafter using his decade of experience to prevent a possible accident.
Captain Machchhar, who joined the Emirati airline in 2022, was piloting flight FZ1073 between Dubai and Tel Aviv (Israel) on Wednesday when his cabin mate allegedly attacked him and tried to crash the aircraft.
The Indian pilot managed to send an emergency signal and opening the cockpit during the altercation, while the plane nosedived for about two minutescausing panic among the more than 170 passengers.
The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a statement an improvement in the pilot’s health.
According to the government, Machchhar has been transferred from the hospital in Tabuk (Saudi Arabia) to a medical center in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) to continue his recovery, while authorities investigate this serious international security incident.
Modi praised Machchhar’s bravery and He said his presence saved lives and saved the reputation of Indian pilots.
