New Delhi: “I was fighting for my life, but I was determined not to let others die,” flydubai captain Smit Machchhar told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday while recounting the terrifying moments after being attacked by his co-pilot mid-air but still managing to save the aircraft.
Modi spoke over the phone to the pilot, who is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in the UAE.
Machchhar, who was stabbed and seriously injured by his co-pilot in the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 while travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, gave a detailed account of the incident to the prime minister during the video call.
He, however, did not disclose what triggered the attack on him or the motive of the co-pilot.
Modi lauded the pilot’s bravery, presence of mind and composure, and said Machchhar took a split-second decision that saved the lives of so many people.
Machchhar shared that whenever he faces difficulty, he recites the Hanuman Chalisa, a hymn devoted to Lord Hanuman.
“I was lying on the floor (of the cockpit) injured. With whatever energy that was left with me, I managed to act properly and saved the plane,” the pilot said.
“I was fighting for my life, but I was determined not to let others die. It was such a crucial moment. There was a moment when I realised that if I don’t do something – because I was lying on the ground (in cockpit), I could feel that the aircraft was going down,” he said.
Machchhar said he was repeatedly beaten and sustained multiple injuries, but he told himself that he had to get up and act.
“At that time, I thought if I don’t get up… I have been flying planes for 17 years, I have been a Captain for the last 11 years, and I know what is happening in an aircraft even with my eyes closed. When I was lying down below, I knew for a fact that if I could make one last push – the door was right there. Even while I was still taking blows, I could just open the door,” he said.
The pilot said that after the cockpit door was opened, everyone else came in, and everyone played an equally important role.
“But honestly, I was acting out of survival, yet at the same time, I knew I couldn’t let all of them die,” he said.
Modi told Machchhar that after this incident, the country can proudly say that Indians are not those who take lives, but those who are willing to risk their lives to save others.
“At that time, you received so many injuries and were engaged in a fight of life and death. But you ignored your own safety and were concerned about the safety of the passengers. You have enhanced the honour of 140 crore Indians. I feel proud from the bottom of my heart,” he said.
On reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, Machchhar told the prime minister, “Whenever I feel pain, only one thing comes to my mind – I just recite the Hanuman Chalisa. Even at that moment, I was only reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, and I know that God saved me,” he said.
The pilot said he considers Modi his greatest role model and that his call has boosted his morale.
“I feel extremely, extremely proud. Getting your call makes me feel so proud. Now I feel proud of myself; until now I wasn’t, but now I do. I am sorry I am crying in front of you,” he said.
At this, Modi told Machchhar that if he could not cry before him, with whom else would he cry.
“Sir, every morning when I pray, my two-year-old son sits in my lap, and I recite the Hanuman Chalisa to him because that is what I was taught – even though we are far from our country today, we should not be far from our culture,” he said.
The pilot said the hospital staff are taking good care of him with immense love and attention.
Machchhar also told the prime minister that he was not viewing his injury merely as a wound, as doing so would make his recovery even harder.
“I am viewing it as a journey that will happen slowly, step by step, and will take time. But I am very, very confident that I will recover and become completely healthy again,” he said.
Modi told the pilot that temples across the country have conducted special prayers for his speedy recovery and that many Indians were reciting the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra.
“You are a brave man. India is waiting to welcome you,” he told the pilot.
Modi also spoke about Machchhar’s mother, Geeta Ben, noting that she raised him with the values and teachings of the Bhagavad Gita.
The prime minister told the pilot that people across India and around the world are eager to speak with him.
“You have enhanced the honour of the country,” Modi said.
The prime minister expressed his gratitude to the governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE for taking good care of Machchhar.
He also told Machchhar that he has elevated the prestige of the Indian piloting community, whom the world will now view in a new light.
“Today is Gandhi Jayanti. You have shown the world what the true meaning of ‘Ahimsa’ is,” he said.
The prime minister also spoke briefly to Machchhar in Gujarati, as the pilot originally hails from Gujarat.
Modi later tweeted about the video call, writing: “An unforgettable conversation with Captain Smit, filled with pride and emotions.”
Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, transmitted emergency signals on Wednesday and made a rapid descent of over 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk city. The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement, saying an Israeli passenger told him that the aircraft went into a spin and began descending, after which the passenger and a crew member managed to break into the cockpit and together overpowered the co-pilot, who had carried out the stabbing while attempting to sabotage the aircraft’s systems.
