DUBAI – The Indian captain who thwarted a mid-air disaster aboard a flydubai flight recounted how he fought through severe stab wounds inflicted by his co-pilot to regain control and save 182 passengers and crew members, The Guardian reported.
Captain Smit Machchhar, speaking from Abu Dhabi hospital during a televised video call with Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi explained that his faith and desire to save his passengers allowed him to make a `last push’ to open the cockpit door as he fought for his life.
He said he forced himself to get back on his feet despite heavy bleeding and injuries as the Boeing 737 entered a steep descent.
“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.
“I was fighting for my life. At one point, I realised that if I didn’t get up then passengers would lose their lives,” Machchhar told Modi in a video call.
The flight, which was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was safely diverted to Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing after Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and overpower the attacker.
Machchhar’s co-pilot apparently stabbed him and set the plane on a steep descent, with the aircraft plummeting about 17,000 feet in the span of a minute.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the suspect, identified as an Omani national, was arrested by Saudi Arabia authorities in Tabuk and remains under interrogation, with his motive still undetermined.
The full circumstances of the attack are still under investigation.
Machchhar, a veteran aviator with over 13 years of commercial flying experience including 11 years with India’s SpiceJet, has been widely commended by international leaders for his heroic actions in preventing a catastrophic crash.
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.
He added that he felt proud of himself for the first time since the attack.
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.
“You have truly made the whole country proud,” Modi told Machchhar.-MalayaDailyToday
