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Indian pilot Smit Machchhar has recounted how he fought to prevent a major tragedy after he was allegedly attacked by his co-pilot during a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Machchhar, who was injured during the incident, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he realised the aircraft was losing altitude while he was lying wounded in the cockpit.
“I was trying to save my own life, but I knew I could not let all those people die,” Machchhar said during a phone conversation with Modi from his hospital bed.
Modi shared a video of the conversation on social media on Friday.
The Boeing 737, operated by Dubai-based flydubai, was carrying 174 passengers when the confrontation occurred on Wednesday.
Machchhar said his 17 years of aviation experience, including 11 years as a captain, helped him understand the seriousness of the situation even after sustaining multiple injuries.
“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, that the door was right there,” he said.
“I was being hit even then, but I just opened the door and everyone came in.”
According to accounts of the incident, the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar, triggering a struggle for control of the aircraft.
The plane subsequently lost significant altitude before passengers and other crew members intervened. The aircraft was diverted and eventually made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Passengers reportedly rushed into the cockpit after the aircraft began its sudden descent, helping to overpower the co-pilot and prevent the situation from escalating further.
Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported that the aircraft lost about 17,000 feet in altitude within a minute during the incident.
Modi praised Machchhar for his actions, saying the pilot’s courage helped save hundreds of lives and prevent what could have been a major tragedy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also commended Machchhar and the passengers for helping avert a potential catastrophe.
The circumstances surrounding the confrontation, including the motive and events leading to the alleged attack, remain under investigation.
