'Will keep with me till I die': Smit Machchhar recalls colleague's bravery amid flydubai horror

Captain Smit Machchhar of flydubai flight that narrowly escaped a major aviation tragedy on September 30 has recalled the moment when he was hit by the Omani co-pilot inside the cockpit in an alleged bid to crash the plane over Israel skies.File photo of flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar reading an official letter from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, expressing gratitude for his courage during an emergency midair situation on Sept. 30, 2026. (PTI)“I realised for a moment that I wouldn't survive,” Captain Machchhar, who has been hailed a hero for averting a tragedy, can be heard saying in the trailer of his interview with Sky News Arabia. This is for the first time that Machchhar has spoken to English media after the flydubai incident.Machchhar recalls colleague's timely interventionThe Indian brave heart pilot also lauded his other colleague who took over the control of the plane after he had collapsed on the floor upon being hit with a crash axe. The plane plunged nearly 14,000 ft in less than 30 seconds.“My colleague who took control and saved the day is commendable, It is something that I will keep with me till I die,” he said.Also read: Air France to follow Israel’s ban on airline crew from Pakistan, 30 other countries after flydubai incident: ReportRecovering in a hospital, weeks after the incident, Machchhar said he is trying to get over those moments inside the cockpit when he had been attacked by Omani co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami.“There was a moment when I told myself ‘Smit, do something. You can’t die like this',” he can be heard saying in the interview. “There was a moment when I realised that if something is not done now, then..” he said, leaving the sentence incomplete.Fear, screaming on flydubai planeThe rogue co-pilot was then tackled by some of the passengers on the plane who entered the cockpit after the door was opened.Machchhar recalled the panic and screaming on the plane and how he was lying face down when his colleagues entered the cockpit along with a few passengers.Also read: ‘Revenge for Gaza’: Omani co-pilot on flydubai flight told investigators he wanted to ‘die as martyr’Machchhar was attacked by his Omani co-pilot on Flight FZ1073 which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. As he managed to open the cockpit door to let passengers in, the co-pilot was restrained.Another co-pilot and a dentist gave Machchhar medical assistance, while second set of pilots took control and the flight, which had 174 passengers onboard, landed safely in Saudi Arabia's Tabuk.Machchhar, who was seriously wounded in the attack, was shifted to Abu Dhabi in UAE where he is undergoing treatment and making steady recovery.