Flydubai pilot recounts cockpit stabbing in call with Indian PM Modi

Smit Machchhar recalls mid-air disaster after co-pilot’s attack on Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv.Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed by his co-pilot in an alleged attempt to crash a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, has shared a public account of how he managed to open the cockpit door and let passengers take control of the plane despite his injuries.Speaking on Friday from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi via video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Machchhar said that he knew the aircraft was going down as he lay bleeding on the floor.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Flydubai stabbing: How safe are planes if a pilot turns violent?list 2 of 3Who is Capt. Smit, Machchhar, the pilot of the Flydubai flight?list 3 of 3Flydubai co-pilot ‘assaulted’ captain before landing: Initial Saudi probeend of list“I had suffered so many injuries that I had collapsed. At that time, I could feel that the aircraft was going down. I knew this was the last push, that the door was right there,” he said in a nearly 10-minute video released on the prime minister’s social media channels.He added: “I was being hit even then, but I just opened the door and everyone came in.”Machchhar, who has 17 years of aviation experience, including 11 as a captain, said that experience helped him grasp what was happening even while wounded.He told Modi he had recited a Hindu devotional prayer during the ordeal.“I know God himself saved me,” he said, in an emotional exchange with Modi, who is from the same home state of Gujarat.Modi praised Machchhar’s bravery, saying his presence of mind had saved lives and the reputation of Indian pilots.Machchhar said he allowed passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot and let a second pair of Flydubai pilots take control and land the plane in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.The Flydubai flight was carrying 174 people as it briefly plunged around 17,000 feet (5,180 metres) before it was brought back under control.