“I was fighting for my life, but I was determined not to let others die,” flydubai captain Smit Machchhar told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday while recounting the terrifying moments after being attacked by his co-pilot mid-air but still managing to save the aircraft.
Modi video called the pilot, who is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in the UAE.
Machchhar, who was stabbed and seriously injured by his copilot in the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 while travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, gave a detailed account of the incident to the prime minister during the video call.
He, however, did not disclose what triggered the attack on him or the motive of the copilot.
Modi lauded the pilot’s bravery, presence of mind and composure, and said Machchhar took a split-second decision that saved the lives of so many people. Machchhar shared that whenever he faces difficulty, he recites the Hanuman Chalisa, a hymn devoted to Lord Hanuman. “I was lying on the floor (of the cockpit) injured. With whatever energy that was left with me, I managed to act properly and saved the plane,” the pilot said.
“I was fighting for my life, but I was determined not to let others die. It was such a crucial moment. There was a moment when I realised that if I don’t do something – because I was lying on the ground (in cockpit), I could feel that the aircraft was going down,” he said.
Machchhar said he was repeatedly beaten and sustained multiple injuries, but he told himself that he had to get up and act.
“At that time, I thought if I don’t get up… I have been flying planes for 17 years, I have been a Captain for the last 11 years, and I know what is happening in an aircraft even with my eyes closed. When I was lying down below, I knew for a fact that if I could make one last push — the door was right there. Even while I was still taking blows, I could just open the door,” he said. The pilot said that after the cockpit door was opened, everyone else came in, and everyone played an equally important role.
“But honestly, I was acting out of survival, yet at the same time, I knew I couldn’t let all of them die,” he said.
Modi told Machchhar that after this incident, the country can proudly say that Indians are not those who take lives, but those who are willing to risk their lives to save others.
“At that time, you received so many injuries and were engaged in a fight of life and death. But you ignored your own safety and were concerned about the safety of the passengers. You have enhanced the honour of 140 crore Indians. I feel proud from the bottom of my heart,” he said.
The pilot said he considers Modi his greatest role model and that his call has boosted his morale.
