The bravery of Indian pilot Smit Machar in the flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv last month is on everyone’s lips. By his bravery he saved more than 170 lives. Meanwhile, Machar was seriously injured. Meanwhile, recalling the incident, Machar said he first felt something break from the ceiling of his flight and hit him on the back of the head. But later he comes to know that he has been attacked by his own co-pilot.

In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Machar recalled the terrifying incident and how a normal flight suddenly turned into a fight for his life. Captain Smit Machar, two hours after takeoff, was checking the landing time and fuel information on the computer when he was hit in the back of the head. He felt that part of the roof of the cockpit of his Boeing 737 had collapsed. Seconds later, as more attacks began to hit him, he turned to see his co-pilot attacking him.

The Indian pilot narrated the entire incident

He said that the flight was proceeding normally, all formalities were completed and nothing happened to indicate any further incident. He said it was his first time flying with this co-pilot.

According to Machar, about two hours into the flight, another captain who was to take the return flight came to meet him in the cockpit. At the same time the co-pilot also went to the lavatory and returned after a few minutes. Machar said in the interview that the two captains talked for a while, after which the co-pilot said he wanted to pray. He asked the second captain to come out of the cockpit.

A sudden sharp blow to the head

Machar said the request did not seem strange at first. He explained that pilots can hand over control of the aircraft during their rest periods, and are also allowed to offer prayers during this time. When the attack began, the Mosquitoes were sitting in their seats checking their computers for landing time and fuel information. The co-pilot was standing behind him and offering namaz when the attack began. Suddenly he was hit very hard on the back of the head.

38-year-old pilot Machar said that suddenly he was hit hard on the back of the head. I felt something heavy hit me. At first they thought that a part of the ceiling of the flight had collapsed and fell on them, but within seconds they knew they were under attack. He said that his vision was reduced to only a few inches due to the blows, that he could only see a few inches due to the blows. Later he came to know from the doctors that it was due to the attack. First he tried to protect himself from further attacks. He unbuckled his seat belt and tried to fend off the attack, injuring his arm in the process. After this he tried to call the other captain back into the cockpit.

Trying to press the switch to open the door

Machar said he was calling his partner’s name and trying to press the switch to open the door, during which he first lost consciousness. He remembers that he somehow managed to open the door, but the assailant threatened to kill others, after which the door was locked again. After a while, they heard the engines slow down and realized that the flight was starting to dive. Based on his experience as a pilot, he said he can detect changes in engine noise and aircraft movement without even looking at the instruments. He said that during this incident I was repeatedly fainting and then regaining consciousness.

The flight captain said his memories of the moments that followed were vague and incomplete. He further stated that he remembered trying to reach the cockpit door. He stopped somewhere and pushed himself forward. After this, all he remembers is that the door was open and he was lying between the cockpit and the galley (the kitchen part of the plane).

After this incident, the first thing I did was call my 2-year-old son.

The interview took place in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where Machar was sitting on his bed. Wearing a hospital gown and a bandage on his head, he spoke about his recovery process and the care he received after the attack. There was a moment when his eyes watered as he remembered the support he received after the incident. When asked who he called first after the incident, an emotional Machar said he called his two-year-old son.

‘Do something smile, you can’t die like this…’

When the interviewer asked if he thought he might not survive, Machar said, ‘There was a moment when I realized and I said to myself, smile, do something. You can’t die like this’

Machar praised the co-pilot who took control of the flight during the emergency. He lauded his work and said he would remember it for the rest of his life. He said what he remembered most from the incident was the determination of everyone on board to survive. He said, ‘One thing that will always stay with me from that day is the will of everyone, crew and passengers, everyone to survive’.

‘Sometimes I feel nervous remembering the incident’

Machar said that for a few days after the incident, he kept remembering the first time and sometimes even felt panic. “To be honest, when I thought we were on the ground, I thought I was out of danger,” he said.

Machar said a doctor treated him in the galley (kitchen) section of the plane, while crew members tried to keep him awake and conscious. He said that at that time his full focus was on not giving up and fighting for life.

What was the whole matter

The incident took place in flydubai flight FZ1073 on September 30. The Boeing 737 was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. More than 170 people were on board the flight. It is alleged that the Omani co-pilot attacked Machar inside the cockpit with an emergency axe. He also tried to take control of the plane.

According to the UAE Attorney General, the co-pilot planned to hijack the flight. He wanted to kill her at the passenger terminal of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. An investigation into the alleged attempt to hijack the flight is ongoing.

Machar somehow managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and subdue the attacker. The other pilots present on the flight took control and diverted the flight to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.

Co-pilot in custody

The co-pilot was taken into custody, while Machar was first treated at a hospital in Tabuk and later flown to Abu Dhabi for further treatment. The Indian Embassy in the UAE informed on October 6 that his health is steadily improving and he is recuperating.

Appreciation of Machar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have praised Machar’s courage and called him a hero. In an interview, the Indian pilot expressed gratitude for the treatment he received in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He specifically mentioned the support he received from the UAE government and said he would never forget the kind of care he received.