I wasn't going to let others die, says Indian pilot who opened cockpit door during attack
The captain was praised for opening the cockpit door after being stabbed, allowing passengers to restrain the attacker and prevent a crash, officials said.
- Captain Smit Machchhar revealed in a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he unlocked the cockpit door from the floor while under attack, stating, "I was of course fighting for my own life but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die."
- The Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight plunged over 17,000 feet after Machchhar was assaulted by his co-pilot two hours into the journey from Dubai, forcing an emergency diversion to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- Passengers and off-duty crew members entered the flight deck after Machchhar unlocked the door during his final effort, successfully overpowering the assailant and regaining control of the aircraft.
- Both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Machchhar’s bravery and quick decision-making under fire for preventing a major disaster and saving everyone on board.
- Following the safe emergency landing in northwestern Saudi Arabia, Machchhar was transported to a hospital in Tabuk to receive medical treatment for injuries sustained during the struggle.
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Flydubai flight: How tighter post-9/11 rules could have impacted cockpit access
Pilot Smit Machchhar has been praised for opening the cockpit door, allowing others to catch hold of his co-pilot. These doors have deliberately been made difficult to unlock over the last 25 years.
Wounded Captain Says He Had To Get Back On Feet To Save Passengers
NEW DELHI (AP) — The Indian airline captain who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a FlyDubai flight described Friday how he fought for his life in the minutes after his co-pilot stabbed him and the plane began a steep descent. Capt. Smit Machchhar, recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, told Indian Prime Minister […]
The diplomatic adviser to the Presidency of the United Arab Emirates, Anwar Gargash, said on Friday that the incident involving an aircraft of the airline of FlyDubai on Wednesday — in which one of the pilots stabbed the cabin mate and tried to take down the aircraft that was making the Dubai-Tel Aviv route — was a "terrorist act", in the first public demonstration of an authority of Abu Dhabi about the nature of the case. The statement occurs t…
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