Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar describes cockpit attack in first interview
The captain described the blows he suffered, his attempt to summon help and the colleague who took control of a flight diverted to Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar described on October 17 how he tried to summon help after his co-pilot attacked him aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on September 30. In his first interview since the incident, given to Sky News Arabia, Machchhar recalled the struggle in the cockpit before the aircraft diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, for an emergency landing.
How Machchhar described the cockpit attack
Machchhar said he initially thought something had fallen from the aircraft ceiling when he was struck from behind. He said the co-pilot hit the back of his head with an emergency axe and wounded his hand as he tried to shield himself. His vision, he said, was restricted to a few inches.
In the interview, Machchhar recalled telling himself, ‘Smit, do something. You can’t die like this.’ He said he shouted for another pilot travelling aboard and reached for the switch to open the cockpit door. He remembered the door opening, then closing again. He also recalled a change in the engine sound and the aircraft entering a dive.
His memory of the following minutes is fragmented, Machchhar told Sky News Arabia, according to The Times of India. He said he was working through those gaps with doctors and psychologists. Speaking from a hospital bed in the United Arab Emirates, he praised the colleague who intervened and landed the aircraft, calling his actions ‘commendable’. He said it was something he would keep with him for the rest of his life.
What happened to flight FZ1073
Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. Hindustan Times reported that 174 passengers were aboard and that another pilot took control after Machchhar was injured. The aircraft landed at Tabuk, where the flight ended instead of continuing to Tel Aviv.
AFP, in a report carried by The Straits Times, attributed to the UAE attorney general an account in which another pilot entered the flight deck after noticing unusual movement of the cockpit door. Crew members and passengers helped restrain the co-pilot and regain control, according to that account. Earlier coverage detailed the UAE authorities’ account of the axe attack.
The attorney general found that the Omani co-pilot had planned a suicide attack on Ben Gurion Airport inspired by the September 11 attacks, AFP reported. The co-pilot claimed to have acted alone; investigators were still seeking to verify that account.
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Sources and context
- ‘You can't die like this’: flydubai pilot recalls attack in first interviewAgence France-Presse, carried by The Straits Times
- 'Can't die like this': Indian pilot Smit Machchhar recalls flydubai flight ordealThe Times of India
- 'Do something. You can’t die like this': flydubai pilot Capt Smit Machchar recounts cockpit attackThe Times of India; by Manju V / TNN
- 'Will keep with me till I die': Smit Machchhar recalls colleague's bravery amid flydubai horrorHindustan Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.