Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who was seriously injured during the flydubai FZ1073 cockpit attack, has given Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a detailed account of what happened during the flight on September 30.
Netanyahu spoke to Machchhar over a video call while the captain is undergoing treatment at a hospital in the UAE. During the conversation, Netanyahu asked about his health and praised his courage. Machchhar then described how a routine flight suddenly turned into a dangerous emergency inside the cockpit. At the end of the conversation, Netanyahu also invited Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light the ceremonial torch at Israel’s Independence Day celebrations.
Co-pilot got up to pray before the attack
Machchhar recalled that everything had been normal during the flight and there was nothing unusual happening in the cockpit. He said the co-pilot got up to pray, which he described as a normal occurrence. However, just four or five minutes later, Machchhar said he suddenly felt a powerful blow to the back of his head.
The injury was severe and initially made him think that something had gone wrong with the aircraft. He was then struck again and realised that the co-pilot was attacking him from behind. Machchhar said he tried to stop him, but the severity of his injuries caused his vision to go dark.
Captain used his last strength to open cockpit door
Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar realised that he needed to open the cockpit door. He said he tried to use the code from memory, but the Omani co-pilot prevented him from doing so. With no other option, Machchhar decided to make one final attempt.
He said he turned the knob and used all his remaining strength and awareness to open the cockpit door. Once it opened, he could hear people outside shouting and waiting to help him. The move proved crucial as passengers were then able to intervene and restrain the alleged attacker.
Who was the co-pilot?
The co-pilot accused of attacking Machchhar has been identified as Omani national Hamam Al-Hammami. According to the information in the source, Al-Hammami had previously been barred by Omani authorities from flying aircraft because of his alleged extremist ideology.
What happened on flydubai FZ1073?
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when Al-Hammami allegedly attacked Captain Machchhar with an emergency axe kept inside the cockpit for use during emergencies. There were 174 people aboard the aircraft. During the incident, the aircraft sent an emergency message and rapidly lost altitude, falling from around 34,000 feet to more than 17,000 feet.
Machchhar was lying injured on the cockpit floor when he realised that the aircraft was descending. He also realised that the co-pilot was preventing him from opening the cockpit door. After Machchhar managed to open the door, passengers overpowered the alleged attacker. Two reserve pilots who were travelling on the aircraft then entered the cockpit and took control of the plane.
The aircraft was eventually brought safely to the ground at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where Al-Hammami was taken into custody.
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Who were the 2 extra pilots on flydubai flight who stepped in during cockpit attack?
