The pilot who was stabbed by his “terrorist” co-pilot as he tried to take control of a flydubai flight bound for Israel has been identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar.
Machchhar, who has nearly 10,000 hours in the air, was credited as averting a possible terror attack on Tuesday, according to Indian and Israeli outlets.
The veteran pilot reportedly fought back against his treacherous first officer and alerted the crew and passengers aboard the plane, who managed to intervene.
Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national was identified as the captain stabbed during aboard flight FZ1073. Smit Machchhar / LinkedIn
Despite his injuries, Machchar was able to open the doors to the cockpit so the passengers could rush in to help.
“The last moments of his energy, he used to click open the release on the door,” Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office, told Reuters.
Spielman noted that the attacker was standing over the planes’ control panel and bashing it in an apparent attempt to bring the plane and all 180 people on board down.
Two off-duty pilots took control of the plane and landed it safely in Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar was stabbed several times in the attack, officials said, with the pilot rushed to the hospital after the plane was delivered to Saudi Arabia.
Images from the aftermath of the incident show Machchhar drenched in blood and being carried out of the cockpit in an oxygen mask.
Machchhar seen injured after the attack. e2w
His hand was clasped to his abdomen over one of several wounds, one of which was covered by a blood-soaked bandage.
His current condition remains unknown.
Machchhar had flown for 11 years under India’s domestic carrier, SpiceJet, before joining flydubai in 2022.
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The attacker, who has yet to be identified, is believed to be Omani and had worked at flydubai for less than a year, sources told the Jerusalem Post.
The suspect was reportedly injured in the assault and has also been hospitalized, according to Israel’s Channel12.
During the attack, the plane plunged some 18,000 feet in just 12 minutes, according to FlightAware data.
The Boeing plane’s rudder was damaged amid the sharp drop in altitude, officials said.
Harrowing video from inside the aircraft showed several passengers covered in blood after apprehending the suspect and standing guard over Machchhar, who was lying wounded on the ground.
With Post Wires