Captain Machchhar, a dentist, plumber & the crew who helped save over 170 lives on flydubai flight
When Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed inside the cockpit of a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, he was left bleeding on the floor as the plane plunged thousands of feet.But even while seriously injured, the Mumbai-born pilot managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to rush in, overpower the attacker and regain control of the aircraft.What followed was a desperate chain of interventions by people on board, including passengers, a dentist and off-duty pilots, that helped save over 170 people aboard Flight 1073.Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Machchhar a “hero”, while Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised his actions in helping passengers and crew overpower the attacker.
Captain Smit Machchhar
Machchhar, an Indian citizen from Mumbai, was stabbed by his fellow pilot, an Omani national, during the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.The attack sent the Boeing 737 MAX into a steep descent, with the aircraft dropping nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to release the cockpit door, allowing people outside to enter.Netanyahu said Machchhar “fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door” and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker.Machchhar was taken to hospital after the plane landed safely in Tabuk, north-western Saudi Arabia. Indian officials said he was in stable condition and were in contact with his family.He had trained at New Zealand’s Mainland Air for 18 months in 2008 and 2009. The airline’s chief executive Philip Kean described him as an above-average pilot and said training for emergencies was one thing, but successfully handling such a situation in reality was “a whole different story”.
Yaniv Hayoun
Among the passengers who entered the cockpit was Yaniv Hayoun, whom Netanyahu described as a plumber.Hayoun said Machchhar was lying injured on the other side of the cockpit door when passengers entered and confronted the attacker.As people wrestled with the pilot, Hayoun said he moved towards the controls and began pulling them back, using what he had seen on television as his reference.Other crew members then took over and helped stabilise the aircraft.
Dr Shota Musaev
Dr Shota Musaev, a dentist travelling on the flight, was another passenger who rushed towards the cockpit.He told CNN that he found the attacker on top of Machchhar, stabbing him.Musaev said the captain was covered in cuts, particularly on his head and hands, and had lost a large amount of blood.He feared Machchhar would die before help arrived.Musaev also helped restrain the attacker, using headphone cords and plastic zip ties to tie him up.
The off-duty pilots
Passengers also reported that two relief pilots were travelling on the aircraft and entered the cockpit during the emergency.One passenger, Almog Itali, said the relief pilots included a British pilot and helped pull the aircraft up, stabilise it and guide it towards Saudi Arabia.Other reports differed on their nationalities, with some identifying them as South African or New Zealand pilots.Their exact role has not been independently established in the accounts available, but passengers said they were among those who helped regain control of the aircraft.The rescue was not the work of one person.Passengers and crew members entered the cockpit after Machchhar opened the door and helped overpower the attacker.Their intervention came as the plane was struggling to recover from its steep descent.One passenger described the plunge as feeling like “massive turbulence” lasting 20 to 30 seconds.The aircraft eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.Aviation experts said the forces involved were severe. Former United Airlines pilot and aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said he was surprised the aircraft did not break apart, while another expert said the remaining altitude may have been crucial to the recovery.Flight 1073 ended in a safe landing and the people on board made it possible.
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