The experience and instinct of flydubai's Capt Smit Machchhar to prepare for any eventuality helped to prevent an “unimaginable” suspected terrorist attack, a friend has said.
The flydubai captain saved the lives of 174 passengers when he opened the cockpit door of Flight FZ1073 despite life-threatening injuries from an emergency crash axe attack by a co-pilot.
The mid-air attack began a few hours into a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight on September 30. Passengers overpowered the attacker, and reserve pilots diverted the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight to land safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Dharav Gosalia, a former colleague of Capt Machchhar, shed light on the fortitude of his friend of 14 years.
“When you’re in the cruise phase all you have to do is ensure that the flight is being monitored, but Smit always had the habit of staying at least two steps ahead of the aircraft,” Capt Gosalia, 33, told The National.
“He would prepare for what could happen to the aircraft, or what could happen to the weather, or what is the situation at the runway. This is instilled within you when you have been flying for so many years – to think a little ahead of the aircraft because it's a fast-flying machine and whatever can go wrong goes wrong in a fraction of a second. He had this habit of staying ahead, ready with a prompt reaction.”
Capt Machchhar has been praised as a hero for his quick thinking and bravery, and is recovering from deep wounds to his head and hands in an Abu Dhabi hospital.
UAE authorities are investigating the motives of the attempted terrorist attack in which the co-pilot tried to take control of the aircraft.
'Land safely with all souls on board'
The two men lived in the Ghatkopar suburb of northern Mumbai, completed flight training at the same academy in New Zealand and later flew Boeing 737s at India’s SpiceJet. Capt Machchhar was a commander with SpiceJet for 11 years and moved to Dubai with flydubai four years ago. Capt Gosalia then shifted to Air India.
“It was a miracle that he came out of this,” Capt Gosalia said. “It was because of his presence of mind. It all boils down to all the experience and intuition built over the last 15 years of flying.
“One thing is very clear for Smit or any captain – no matter what happens, the aircraft has to land safely with all the souls present on board. That would have been the only thing in his mind, that's what we have been taught.”
Both captains had undergone training with retired senior Air Force commanders in India. But Capt Gosalia said no amount of training could prepare a captain for an attack from a co-pilot.
"We have been trained for hijack protocols, incapacitation, security threats or abnormal scenarios, but an attack from a first officer sitting next to you who is your trusted wingman, it's impossible," he said. "I don't think in all years of flying anybody would have thought of this.”
Emergency protocol
Rehearsing emergency procedures, visualisation or "chair flying" and the right attitude as a commander were key.
“It all boils down to those small ‘chair flying’ or visualisation techniques, your nature before the flight that makes you the best in the cockpit,” Capt Gosalia said.
“Chair flying is about going through a sequence of actions during maybe an engine failure or depressurisation. This is useful for an abnormal situation in the cockpit.
"When your motor skills and muscle memory are good, it helps rehearse procedures and your hands automatically move to the right direction, like automatically putting in the right squawk [emergency] code.”
Working as a team
Capt Machchhar’s approach was to treat the crew as his team, his friend said.
“People want to fly with him,” Capt Gosalia said. “Whether it’s a crew member, loader or engineer he never treated anyone differently, he is that kind of person. He would carry the whole crew as a unit, as a team. Nobody felt left out. Smit is humble, warm and jovial.”
When working for the Indian carrier, the men played cricket in a Mumbai suburb during their breaks and sometimes co-ordinated off-duty time overseas during layovers.
“We used to fly a lot together. Apart from flying, we would check the roster to see where we could do our layovers and we would also meet for sports at home,” Capt Gosalia said.
Time to heal
He said his long-time friend needed time to heal.
“For other people, this is a story but not for him,” Capt Gosalia said. “For him, it’s a real thing that happened. His family needs space. What he went through inside the cockpit is just unimaginable.
"The aircraft plunging with a heavy rate of descent, it's almost vertical, he is trying to reach the door while completely wounded. Hats off to what he pulled off. He will definitely come out strong. And every one of us is proud to know him.”
