Flydubai pilot recounts opening cockpit door despite stab wounds to save passengers after co-pilot attack

Photo: Rafiq Maqbool / AP

dpa/ap — The pilot injured during the violent incident aboard a Flydubai aircraft has spoken out, offering a moving account of the near-disaster. Despite suffering severe stab wounds inflicted by the co-pilot, Smit Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, ultimately saving the lives of those on board.

"I was fighting for my own life in that moment, but I also knew I could not let so many other people die," Machchhar said during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which Modi shared on X.

Even while lying on the floor, the pilot realized the aircraft was about to crash. Despite multiple wounds and the ongoing attack, he managed to get up. "I opened the door, and everyone came in," the Indian pilot recounted.

Motive for Attack Remains Unclear

As the incident unfolded, the Boeing 737 lost altitude rapidly, according to witnesses and Israeli authorities. The aircraft, carrying 182 people, was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv and was diverted to land in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the attacker holds Omani citizenship. He has been taken into custody in Saudi Arabia and is being interrogated. His motive for the attack remains unknown.

Machchhar explained that his experience as a pilot allowed him to sense the aircraft's steep descent. "I can feel exactly what is happening to the plane, even with my eyes closed," he said. "When I was on the floor, I could feel the plane plunging."

During those difficult moments, he recited the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu hymn to the god Hanuman traditionally offered as a prayer for strength and courage. "Lord Hanuman gave me courage," he told Modi.

Cockpit Attack Not Part of Training

According to his LinkedIn profile, Machchhar — who is married with two children — has worked for Flydubai for approximately four years. Previously, he spent 11 years at SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as Senior Commander and Line Training Captain, accumulating over 9,750 flight hours.

Philip Kean, head of the New Zealand flight school Mainland Air where Machchhar trained, noted that while pilots learn how to take control if a crew member becomes incapacitated, training does not typically prepare them for a knife attack by a colleague.

"I don't think the manual offers much for the case of a knife attack," Kean said. "You are friends and you fly together." No one expects such a scenario.

Many Questions Remain

The Emirates carrier's flight was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when the incident occurred. Several passengers entered the cockpit and managed to overpower the attacker. The aircraft, which had lost altitude dramatically, was safely landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, by a second crew who happened to be traveling on board.

Both the captain and the passengers who intervened have been hailed as heroes by the media. The captain is now receiving treatment in the United Arab Emirates.

The detained co-pilot has also been brought to the Emirates. No confirmed information regarding the motive for the attack has yet emerged. Israeli government officials have described it as an attempted Islamist attack, but many questions remain unanswered.