The Indian pilot who helped stop an apparent attempt to crash a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv said his faith and his will to save his passengers gave him the strength for a “last push” to open the cockpit door as he fought for his life.
Capt Smit Machchhar, recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, told India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, how he helped save the plane and its more than 170 passengers.
“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,” Machchhar told Modi in a video call on Friday. “I was fighting for my life. At one point, I realised that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives.”
His Omani co-pilot apparently stabbed him and put the plane into a steep descent, with the aircraft dropping about 17,000 feet in a minute. While still being attacked, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, letting passengers enter, subdue the attacker and eventually stabilise the plane.
The full circumstances of the attack are still under investigation, but a relief crew on the flight helped land the plane safely in Tabouk, north-west Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities arrested the co-pilot and have since questioned him.
Machchhar, a father of two, was seriously injured during the attack, but credited his 17 years of aviation experience with giving him the ability to understand how serious the situation was.
Modi praised the captain for his actions, which he said helped prevent a “great tragedy.”
“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 told him. “You have truly made the whole country proud.”
The motives and affiliation of the apparent attacker are still unknown, but Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said an initial background investigation indicated he had undergone “Islamic radical indoctrination.”
The attacker is to be sent back to the United Arab Emirates, where Emirati investigators will work to establish any links with terror organisations. Netanyahu said Israel would cooperate with the UAE on the investigation.
Machchhar was hailed as a hero by world leaders, who said his actions had helped prevent a great disaster and save many lives.
The pilot said that during the difficult moments he recited the Hanuman Chalisa, a devotional hymn dedicated to the Hindu deity Hanuman and traditionally recited as a prayer for strength and courage.
“Lord Hanuman gave me courage,” Machchhar told Modi.
He added that he felt proud of himself for the first time since the attack. “I am feeling very proud right now. I had not felt proud of myself until now,” he told Modi.
“I am not thinking of it as a wound, I am thinking of it as a journey,” he said, while covered in bandages. “And it will take time, but I am very, very confident that I will recover.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the story of the Indian pilot involved in the flydubai cockpit attack
Beginner Questions
1 What happened on the flydubai flight
A flydubai flight from Dubai to Russia crashed in March 2016 after a sudden dive Investigators later found that a cockpit voice recorder captured sounds of a struggle suggesting the pilot may have been fighting an attacker before the crash
2 Who is the Indian pilot in this story
The pilot is Captain Anil Kumar an Indian expatriate who was flying the flydubai Boeing 737800 He was one of the two pilots in the cockpit that day
3 Why is he being called a hero
He is being called a hero because the cockpit voice recorder suggests he was fighting for control of the aircraft possibly against an attacker in the final moments before the crash His struggle may have been an attempt to save the plane and its passengers
4 What does I was fighting for my life mean in this context
It means the pilot was in a desperate lifeordeath struggle inside the cockpit The recording suggests he was not just dealing with a mechanical problem but was physically fighting someone or something to stay alive and regain control
5 Did everyone on board survive
No The crash killed all 62 people on board including the pilots crew and passengers
6 Where did the crash happen
The plane crashed at RostovonDon Airport in southern Russia on March 19 2016
7 What was the official cause of the crash
Russian investigators concluded the crash was caused by pilot error specifically that the pilot pushed the control column forward during a goaround causing the plane to dive into the ground However the cockpit recording of a struggle has led to questions and alternative theories
8 What is a cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder is a device that records all sounds inside the cockpit including conversations radio calls and background noises It is used to help investigators understand what happened during a flight
Intermediate Questions
9 What exactly did the cockpit voice recorder capture
Reports say the recorder captured sounds of a struggle including shouting banging and what sounded like someone fighting One voice believed to be the pilot was heard saying words
