12 minutes of madness: How Flydubai pilot, passengers saved plane midfall

Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who thwarted a mid-flight attack on a flydubai plane, has recounted his harrowing ordeal to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his hospital bed in Abu Dhabi. Describing the attack that nearly crashed the flight, Machchhar stated that he opened the cockpit door while still being assaulted on the ground, ultimately enabling passengers to escape.

The incident, which saw the plane plummet nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds, forced an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it safely landed. The incident occurred on Wednesday, while the flight was en route to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers on board. Capt. Machchhar attributed his courage to reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn, during those desperate moments.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also hailed Capt. Machchhar as a hero for his actions. Born and raised in India, Capt. Machchhar has served with flydubai for about four years and previously worked with SpiceJet for 11 years, where he held the positions of senior commander and line training captain, amassing over 9,750 flying hours.