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Captain Smit Machchhar said his co-pilot stood up to pray, before landing a sharp blow at his head and preventing him from opening the cockpit door.
Machchhar, 39, was attacked by his Omani co-pilot on a Flydubai flight.
Captain Smit Machchhar, the hero of Flydubai flight FZ1073, recounted the tense moment inside the cockpit when his Omani co-pilot attacked him on the head while flying the plane 34,000 feet from the ground, with 174 people onboard.
In a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuMachchhar said his co-pilot stood up to pray, and he did not look back as an act of respect, before feeling a sharp blow to the back of his head.
“It was a normal flight, and the co-pilot wanted to pray, which a lot of locals do. While he was praying, out of respect, I just looked at the front and not at the back. And suddenly, after about four or five minutes, there was a big blow to the back of my head,” he said.
Captain Machchhar also revealed that he initially thought the airplane had suffered catastrophic damage. “But then after that, the blows kept coming. That’s when I realised that it’s not the aircraft; it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me,” he said.
The pilot said he tried to stop the co-pilot, but his vision became blurred. He also opened the cockpit after the initial attack, but the attacker closed it, causing him to fall to the floor.
‘Had One Last Fight Left In Me’
The pilot recalled feeling the plane plunge steeply as passengers screamed in panic. “I had that one last fight left in me. Call it personal or call it for people, but let’s say I did it. If I don’t do it, I’m going to die. That’s when I pushed against everything I gave, everything that I had, and just went for the door and opened the door. And thankfully, people were waiting to pounce back, took over the control, and the rest is what you know sir.”
He also said the cockpit door had a twist-to-open mechanism. “From the outside, it could only be opened with a code. My colleagues from outside were trying to put in the code, but the guy was not allowing them to open the code,” he said.
Machchhar said the only way to open the door was to reach the knob. “It was a short quick twist. Once I had my hands on the knob, I twisted and opened it.”
Netanyahu Invites Pilot To Israel
Netanyahu called it a “twist of fate”, while inviting Machchhar to light a torch at Israel’s Independence Day celebrations.
“You are a hero for Israel, India and the entire world. I invite you to light a torch on Israel’s Independence Day,” Netanyahu told Machchhar during the conversation.
“I want to have Captain Smit and Prime Minister Modi, our great friends. I really would like them to bear a celebratory flame. It’s our highest honour that we give on our Independence Day. It’s usually reserved for Israeli citizens, but I think, in this case, all the citizens of Israel will embrace you,” the Israeli PM said.
Machchhar, who is currently hospitalised in Dubai, averted a “disaster” after he was stabbed by his co-pilot inside the cockpit of a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Despite suffering serious injuries, the Indian pilot managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene.
The incident has drawn widespread attention, with Machchhar being praised for his actions during the emergency. Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in the UAE said earlier in the day that the Indian hero pilot was recovering well.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Captain Smit Machchhar was attacked on the head by his Omani co-pilot at 34,000 feet while the co-pilot was supposed to be praying. The pilot initially thought the aircraft suffered catastrophic damage before realizing he was being assaulted by his colleague.
Ask News18About the Author
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int…Read More
Jerusalem, Israel
October 04, 2026, 00:12 IST
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