Indian pilot Captain Smit Machhar has received widespread international acclaim. He confronted an in-flight attack inside the cockpit while saving the lives of 174 passengers on a Flydubai flight. The son of a passenger described Machhar as “one of your best people” and expressed deep gratitude following the averted disaster.
The son of a passenger aboard the Dubai-Tel Aviv Flydubai flight thanked the Indian pilot, Captain Smit Machhar. Machhar confronted the co-pilot who attempted to hijack and crash the aircraft. He remarked that Machhar is “one of India’s finest people.”
Ofir Spiegel’s mother was traveling from Thailand and was scheduled to take a connecting flight from Dubai to Israel.
Spiegel told the news agency IANS, “It was a very difficult day… one of the hardest days for us. She is home now and doing well. I want to thank the Indian pilot and the people of India. You did a wonderful job. You saved my mother’s life and the lives of all the passengers. I want to say a huge thank you; we truly appreciate it.”
Spiegel stated that he considers India a fantastic country and its people equally wonderful.
He added, “…I think the pilot is one of your best people.”
Indian national Smit Machhar had been working with Flydubai—a low-cost airline owned by the Emirati government—for four years. On Wednesday, his co-pilot attempted to sabotage the aircraft, which was carrying over 170 passengers. He subsequently attacked Machhar with a knife as the pilot tried to stop him. At the time, the Boeing 737 was flying at an altitude of approximately 34,000 feet and began plummeting at a rate of about 23,000 feet per minute before reaching 15,600 feet.
However, the co-pilot struggled with the attacker and managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to subdue him. According to those on board, passengers seated near the front helped pull the attacker away from the cockpit.
Two other relief pilots seated in the rear took control of the plane and diverted it to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
Recounting his mother’s account, Spiegel said that a woman seated next to her needed to take her daughter to the lavatory.
He said, “While standing near the lavatory, she heard strange noises coming from the cockpit. The woman asked the passengers to check… the plane plummeted for about 20 to 30 seconds, and my mother said it was terrifying.”
Spiegel also referred to the co-pilot who attempted to crash the plane as a “terrorist.”
After landing, both the pilot and the co-pilot were taken to the hospital, while the passengers received treatment at the airport terminal.
(With inputs from IANS)