In a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Captain Smit Machchhar, the pilot of Flydubai Flight 1073, recalled how he opened the cockpit door moments after being stabbed by his copilot. His actions gave passengers a crucial opportunity to wrest control of the plane from the hijacker. The Times of Israel reports that Machchhar shared his story from his hospital bed as he recovers from his injuries.
“I was trying to save my own life,” Machchhar said during a call from his hospital bed in Abu Dhabi, in a 10-minute video posted by Modi to social media on Friday, as reported by the BBC. “But I also knew I couldn’t let all of them die,” he went on, according to a New York Times translation.
“I had suffered so many injuries that I had collapsed,” said Machchhar, with his head bandaged and tubes in his nose, before breaking down as he recalled the attack.
“I could feel that the aircraft was going down. I knew this was the last push, that the door was right there,” he said. “I was being hit even then, but I just opened the door and everyone came in.”
Israeli airline Arkia is currently operating repatriation flights for Israeli travelers still in the UAE after flights to Israel were halted. Meanwhile, passenger Yaniv Hayun, who helped subdue the copilot during the hijacking attempt, and his wife met with U.S. Ambassador to Israel and friend of The Fellowship Mike Huckabee at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Hayun has gained international attention as the passenger who led the effort.
For the first time, a UAE official described the incident as an act of terror and hailed Machchhar’s actions and courage. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu honored him and said Israeli investigators are working to determine whether the copilot acted alone, saying that it was too early to say whether there was Iranian collusion involved in the attempted hijacking.
The Fellowship and our supporters praise God for the heroism shown by both the passengers and pilot of the Flydubai flight as more is revealed and the people involved tell their stories. We also pray for Machchhar’s swift recovery, and that the skies of Israel remain safe for travel.