New Delhi: On Thursday, Captain Smit Machhar was called a ‘hero’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian pilot has been hailed by the survivors for his efforts in saving 174 lives on a flydubai flight when he was stabbed in midair by his co-pilot.A co-pilot stabbed in the air, the Indian pilot is credited with saving the 174 lives on a flydubai flight.
The incident happened on September 30 aboard flight FZ1073, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The majority of the passengers were Israelis. The co-pilot reportedly attacked the captain in the cockpit and the plane was in danger of crashing down. Machchhar was seriously wounded and lost a lot of blood. He still objected, managed to unlock the door leading into the cockpit and got enough time to get in their way. The defender(s) then prevailed over the attacker(s) by force.
The crew stabilized and brought the plane in safely to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. Later, passengers took another flight home to Israel. Both of the pilots were rushed to hospital. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh has said that Machchhar is in stable condition and is being treated.
The pilot had demonstrated bravery in “a situation which was grave and critical”, Modi said in the post on X, adding that India is “proud of him”. He also offered speedy recovery and renewed strength and good health to Machchhar.
Machchhar was called a “true hero” by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The captain resisted the injuries and a midair catastrophe would have ensued, he said. US President Donald Trump also described the pilot as a hero for being able to open the cockpit door and call for help while injured.
The tale went viral all over India. Journalists, actors and sport stars were among those to join the tributes.
A motive for the attack has yet to be determined. In some reports it’s been characterized as an hijack attempt and in other reports, it’s been characterized as plane crash. For the time being Flydubai has canceled flights to Israel. The incident is still under investigation.
