A fight for life: FlyDubai pilot shares details of the attack - VIDEO
Indian pilot Smit Macchhar, who was seriously injured on September 30 aboard a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Israel after being attacked by the co-pilot, has spoken for the first time about the details of what happened and about how he managed to open the cockpit door - which probably helped prevent a disaster.
Macchhar, who is being treated at a hospital in Abu Dhabi, spoke by video link with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2.
"Your courage, presence of mind and composure saved many lives. The country can say with pride: Indians are not those who take lives, but those who are ready to risk their own lives to save others," Modi told the pilot. In an emotional conversation, Macchhar said that the attack was sudden, that he received "multiple injuries" and was "fighting for my life," but that he understood at the same time that the lives of everyone on board also depended on his actions, which is why he was able to force himself to act. "When I was lying on the floor, I felt that the plane was going down," he noted. The pilot said he realized that the plane would crash, so he found the strength to push the door. Passengers burst into the cockpit, managed to subdue the attacker and level out the airliner, after which the plane was landed by a reserve crew that was on board. The plane made an emergency landing in the city of Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. All 174 passengers and 8 crew members survived.
The captain was seriously injured and lost a lot of blood. First aid on board was provided to him by dentist Shota Musayev. The pilot was subsequently transported for treatment to the UAE. In India and Israel he is spoken of as a hero - as are the Israeli passengers who were able to neutralize the attacker.
Details about the identity of the co-pilot and the motives for his actions are still unknown. It is reported that he is a citizen of Oman. He has been arrested by the Saudi authorities. Israel views what happened as an attempted terrorist attack - presumably, the co-pilot, having seized control of the plane, wanted to steer it into the ground in order to die together with the passengers, most of whom were citizens of Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the attacker was under the influence of the ideas of radical Islam. Officially, however, the investigation has not confirmed this, nor the attacker's possible ties with Iran. Officials in both the United States and Israel have spoken about the possibility that Iran was behind the attack.
