Capt Smit Machchhar, flydubai’s hero pilot who saved the lives of 174 passengers, has revealed how he fought for survival after being attacked and tapped into the final ounce of his strength to open the cockpit door.
In his first public conversation since the bloody attack in the cockpit on the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, Capt Machchhar on Friday spoke to Indian Prime Minister Modi from an Abu Dhabi hospital bed in a 10-minute phone call.
“In that moment I was fighting for my life,” said Capt Machchhar, with bandages covering his head and hands.
“But there was a moment then when I realised that if I didn’t do something … I had fallen down, I had so many injuries but I thought then if I don’t get up … I had been flying for 17 years, I have been captain for the last 11 years. With my eyes closed, I know what is happening in the plane.
“I had fallen but I realised, understood, that the aircraft was going down. I thought, ‘Smit, you need to do something, you need to give one last push. The door is just there.’ I was in a lot of pain but I just opened it and the others came in.”
'Couldn't let others die'
Capt Machchhar said the passengers played a big role in averting disaster: “Everyone else had as much of a role in this as well. Honestly, I was doing it for my own life but at the same time, I also knew I couldn’t let the others die.”
He told Mr Modi he was focused on recovering, staying positive and had received timely medical care on the plane, in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“I’m not thinking of pain as pain because if I do, it will be more difficult for me,” Capt Machchhar said. “I’m thinking of it as a journey and it will take time but I’m confident I will recover and will be healthy soon … here [in the UAE] I don’t feel far away from home, people are taking caring of me, looking after me so well.”
After overpowering the co-pilot assailant, a small group of passengers and a reserve pilot steadied the plane that had plunged 14,000ft and managed to land the Boeing 737 in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
Prayers for recovery
Capt Machchar was moved from a hospital in Tabuk to the UAE on Thursday and his family is now with him.
He was emotional during the video call and spoke of a mantra (prayer) he recited to endure the pain and pull himself off the cockpit floor.
“At that time I recited the Hanuman Chalisa and I know it was God who saved me,” Capt Machchhar told Mr Modi. “I’m sorry I’m crying in front of you … when I pray every morning with my two-year-old son in my lap, I also recite it.”
Mr Modi said people across India were praying for the captain's recovery and the country was proud of him and eager to welcome him home. “The whole nation is praying for you. You showed courage, patience and presence of mind,” the Indian Prime Minister said.
“In a fraction of a second, you took decisions that saved the lives of so many people … even with such deep wounds, you were between life and death, even then you thought of the lives of the passengers. You have made 140 crore [1.4 billion] countrymen proud and I’m so proud of you.”
Family strength
Mr Modi said he was grateful to the governments of Saudi and the UAE for the care provided to the captain.
He spoke to Capt Machchhar’s parents, Bhupen and Gita, his wife, Sonam, and was surprised at how composed the family was through the ordeal.
“When I spoke to Sonam, she had so much composure and strength” Mr Modi said. “I did not imagine in such a situation that she would have so much courage.
“You have done such a great deed that everyone in India, people around the world want to meet you. India is eager to welcome you … I thank the Saudi and UAE governments for taking good care of you and we are grateful to them.”
The UAE has announced an investigation to determine if the attack involved terrorist activity.
