Stories
Flydubai Pilot Smit Machchhar Recounts Attack Ordeal to PM Modi: "You Are My Biggest Idol"
- •Captain Smit Machchhar, injured in a flydubai flight attack, told PM Modi he considers him his "biggest idol" during a video call.
- •Machchhar recounted his struggle to reach the cockpit door despite severe injuries, driven by survival and the need to protect passengers.
- •With 17 years of flying experience, Machchhar sensed the aircraft's descent even with his eyes closed and made a final push to open the door.
- •He revealed reciting the Hanuman Chalisa for courage during the ordeal and emphasized his actions were for survival but also to save passengers.
- •PM Modi praised Machchhar's family for their support and highlighted the global recognition of his heroic actions during the incident.
Key Questions Answered
Captain Smit Machchhar was seriously injured in an alleged cockpit attack by his co-pilot aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 while traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, causing the aircraft to plunge nearly 14,000 feet before making an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, safely handled by off-duty pilots and crew members.
Despite severe injuries and continuous blows, Machchhar used his 17 years of flying experience to sense the descent, recited the Hanuman Chalisa for courage, and made a final push to open the cockpit door so passengers and crew could intervene and overpower the co-pilot.
During a nearly 10-minute video call on Friday from a hospital in Abu Dhabi, PM Modi praised Machchhar's extraordinary courage, expressed pride in his actions, and commended his family—including his father Bhupendra, mother Geeta, and wife Sonal—for their support and composure during the crisis.
