Indian pilot recounts cockpit axe attack on flydubai flight

Indian pilot Smit Machchhar has recalled how he initially thought part of the aircraft's roof had struck him before realising that his co-pilot was attacking him during a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv last month, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

The September 30 incident aboard flight FZ1073, which had more than 170 people on board, led to a struggle inside the cockpit before passengers and crew restrained the alleged attacker. Other pilots took control of the Boeing 737 and diverted it to Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.

"I didn't know at that point what had hit me," Machchhar told Sky News Arabia in an interview broadcast on Saturday, describing how a routine flight turned into a struggle for survival.

Machchhar said the flight had proceeded normally, with all formalities completed and nothing unusual before the attack. It was the first time he had flown with the co-pilot.

About two hours into the flight, another captain who was scheduled to operate the return journey entered the cockpit to greet them. The co-pilot left to use the lavatory and returned after his break. After the captains spoke for a few minutes, the co-pilot said he wanted to pray and asked the other captain to leave the cockpit, Machchhar said.

The request did not initially appear unusual because pilots could hand over the controls during their rest period and were allowed to pray during that time. Machchhar was seated and checking his computer for landing timings and fuel while the co-pilot stood behind him and prayed.

The 38-year-old pilot said he was then struck with a "very hard hit" on the back of his head. "It was quite hard and I felt that it was something which was very strong," he said.

Machchhar initially thought something had broken off the aircraft's roof and struck him, but realised within seconds that he was under attack. He said the blows reduced his field of vision to a few inches, which doctors later told him was a result of the assault.

He unbuckled his seat belt and tried to block further blows, injuring his hand in the process. He then tried to call the other captain back into the cockpit. Machchhar said he was screaming his colleague's name and attempting to operate the door switch when he lost consciousness for the first time.

He remembered managing to open the door, but it shut again after the attacker threatened to strike the others. Soon afterwards, Machchhar heard the engines slow down and felt the aircraft enter a dive. Drawing on his experience, he said he could identify the change in the sound of the engines and the aircraft's movement without looking at the instruments.

"Later on in the event, I was in and out of consciousness frequently," he said. His memories of the next few moments were fragmented. He recalled trying to reach the cockpit door, locking his legs against something and pushing himself forward. His next memory was of the door being open and himself lying between the cockpit and the galley.

According to PTI, the Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar with an emergency crash axe and tried to seize control of the aircraft. The UAE attorney general said the co-pilot had planned to take control of the plane and crash it into the passenger terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The investigation into the alleged attempted hijacking is continuing.

Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene and restrain the attacker. A colleague then took over the aircraft's controls. Machchhar described his actions as commendable and said he would remember them for the rest of his life.

The co-pilot was taken into custody after the aircraft landed in Tabuk. Machchhar received initial treatment at a hospital there before being transferred to Abu Dhabi for further medical care. The Indian Embassy in the UAE said on October 6 that he was making "steady progress" and "regaining his health".

Machchhar spoke to Sky News Arabia from his hospital bed in the UAE. Wearing a hospital gown and a bandage around his head, he discussed his recovery and the care he had received. He became visibly emotional while recalling the support extended to him and said the first person he called after the incident was his two-year-old son.

Asked whether he had thought he might not survive, Machchhar said: "There was a moment that I realised and I told myself that 'Smit, do something. You can't die like this'."

He said the determination of everyone on board to survive was what stayed with him most. "One thing that I would take away from that day was the determination, the sheer determination of everyone to survive. The crew and the passengers. Everyone," he said.

Machchhar said he experienced flashes of the first blow in the days after the incident, sometimes accompanied by a rapid heartbeat. "To be honest, I realised that I'm out of danger when I felt we touched down," he said.

He recalled that a doctor treated him in the galley while the crew worked to keep him awake and conscious. His focus at the time, he said, was on not giving up on life.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have praised Machchhar's courage and described him as a hero. The pilot also expressed gratitude for the medical care he received in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, particularly the support of the UAE government, saying he would never forget how he had been treated.

In a separate interview with the UAE-based newspaper The , also broadcast on Saturday, Machchhar said instinct had shaped his response during the incident. "It was like a survival instinct, which kicked in, and thankfully it did for me and all my other passengers and colleagues," he said.

The flight ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia after those on board restrained the alleged attacker and other pilots regained control, while Machchhar continues to recover as authorities investigate the alleged attempt to hijack and crash the aircraft.

With PTI Inputs

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