Injured Indian pilot Smit Machchhar recounted his desperate mid-air struggle against his co-pilot during a nearly 10-minute video call from an Abu Dhabi hospital bed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Released on Modi's social media channels, the clip showed Machchhar with a nasal tube and bandages on his head and hands as he wiped away tears while narrating the Wednesday attack on the flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
The jet, carrying 174 people, plunged nearly 14,000 ft (4,267 m) in less than 30 seconds during the co-pilot's alleged attempt to crash the aircraft. "I knew that the aircraft was going down...
I had fallen to the ground. I told myself that the door is right there, just open it.
I managed to do it and people entered," Machchhar said, adding he has flown for 17 years and served as a captain for 11. Modi praised Machchhar's bravery and presence of mind for saving lives and the reputation of Indian pilots, prompting the Gujarati captain to reply, "I know God saved me."
A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Machchhar was covered in blood and on the floor when he opened the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot so a second pair of flydubai pilots could land the jet safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.