‘I had that one last fight left in me’: Captain Smit Machchhar recalls flydubai cockpit attack

Captain Smit Machchhar the Indian pilot who helped prevent a flydubai aircraft from being taken over during a midair attack has recalled the moments inside the cockpit when he realised that his copilot was assaulting himMachchhar who suffered serious injuries in the September 30 incident described the attack during a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu The flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the copilot allegedly attacked Machchhar and attempted to take control of the aircraft UAE authorities have described the incident as an attempted terrorist act and said the copilot attacked the captain with an emergency axe An investigation into the incident is continuingPilot initially thought aircraft had suffered damageMachchhar told Netanyahu that the flight had been proceeding normally before the attack He said his copilot told him that he wanted to pray and he looked towards the front of the cockpit out of respectWhile he was praying out of respect I was looking at the front and not at the back and suddenly after about four to five minutes there was a big blow to the back of my headThe pilot said he initially believed the aircraft itself had suffered serious damageMy first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft that something is not right but after that the blows kept coming one after the other and thats when I realised that its not the aircraft its the other guy who is in the cockpit with me he saidMachchhar said he attempted to fight back but was struggling to see after the initial blowsI did try and stop him but because of his initial blows my vision was almost like nothing and I was completely blurred out Machchhar saidAircraft began descending sharplyMachchhar said he then realised that the aircraft was rapidly descending He said his memory of the incident remained fragmented because of the injuries he sufferedAnd at that point the next feeling I had was that the aircraft was sharply going down he said My memory is still in bits and pieces right now but this is what I remember out of that timeThe aircraft subsequently descended significantly before the cockpit was brought under control Reuters reported that the plane plunged nearly 14000 feet in under 30 seconds during the incident before Machchhar was able to open the cockpit doorI had that one last fight left in meMachchhar said he managed to open the cockpit door once during the struggle but believed the copilot closed it again He recalled eventually lying on the cockpit floor while hearing the aircrafts movement and passengers screamingI did try and manage to open the door once but I think he shut it back closed And at this point I remember I was lying down on the cockpit floor and I felt the aircraft and the whooshing sound and people screaming he saidThe pilot then made another attempt to reach the door despite his injuriesAnd as I was telling the Ambassador here I had that one last fight left in me Call it personal or call it for people I did it because if I didnt do it I was going to die and thats when I pushed against everything I gave everything that I had and went for the door and opened the doorAnd thankfully people were waiting to pounce back took over control and the rest is what you know he saidPassengers and other crew members then intervened while two pilots travelling on the aircraft helped stabilise the plane The aircraft was diverted and landed safely at Tabuk in Saudi ArabiaNetanyahu praises Machchhars courageNetanyahu praised Machchhar for his actions during the attack and said the pilots decision to reopen the cockpit door had helped save the people on boardIm amazed at your courage at your coolness of judgment under impossible conditions the Israeli Prime Minister said adding that what the Captain did was remarkable and that it bordered on the miraculousHe said the pilot had saved more than those travelling on the aircraftYou saved so many souls I think you saved something bigger You saved the spirit of the world to realise that a brave pilot and brave passengers can overcome this evil however threatening however violent Its something that is being justly hailed around the world Netanyahu saidYoure a hero of Israel Youre a hero of India Youre a hero of the entire world he addedNetanyahu invites Machchhar Modi to IsraelNetanyahu also conveyed his wishes to Machchhars family and asked the pilot to focus on his recoveryPlease also pass the best regards from me and my wife to your wife I know you have a family and know that youre part of the family of nations Youre part of the family of nations and a heroic part Please get well as soon as you can he saidNetanyahu invited Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend Israels next Independence Day ceremony and light a ceremonial flame The invitation followed Modis own conversation with the injured pilot on Friday when the Prime Minister praised Machchhar for his courage and resolve during the incidentSo we hope to see you very soon in Israel I look forward to seeing you here again But under the circumstances I think this will be a memorable and historic visitThank you for everything you did Netanyahu told the pilotWith inputs from IANS