Stories
Pilot Smit Machchhar's Heroism: Foils Mid-Air Hijack Attempt, Saves 174 Lives
- •Indian-origin Captain Smit Machchhar saved 174 passengers on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv after a mid-air attack.
- •The Omani co-pilot attacked Captain Machchhar with a sharp weapon in the cockpit, attempting to hijack the plane.
- •Despite severe injuries, Captain Machchhar maintained control, opened the cockpit door, allowing crew and passengers to subdue the attacker.
- •The plane made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport, Saudi Arabia; Machchhar was hospitalized, and all passengers were safe.
- •His bravery echoes Neerja Bhanot's 1986 sacrifice, who saved hundreds during the Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking.
Key Questions Answered
Despite being severely wounded and attacked with a sharp weapon by the co-pilot in the cockpit, Captain Smit Machchhar kept control of the aircraft, cleverly opened the cockpit door, and allowed the cabin crew and passengers to subdue the attacker. The flight was then safely diverted for an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
Captain Smit Machchhar transitioned from textile engineering to aviation and has 13 years of experience with approximately 9,750 hours of flying time.
Neerja Bhanot was the 23-year-old senior purser on Pan Am Flight 73, which was hijacked by terrorists at Karachi Airport 40 years ago on September 5, 1986. She helped the cockpit crew escape, hid American passengers' passports, and sacrificed her life shielding children during gunfire to save hundreds of passengers, later receiving the Ashok Chakra posthumously in 1987.
