'Blows kept coming, I felt the aircraft going down': Flydubai captain on the cockpit battle to save his plane
Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar has spoken of the moment his co-pilot repeatedly struck him with an axe before sending their Boeing 737 plunging towards the Arabian Desert, with the intention of killing 172 people on board. In a world exclusive interview with The National from his hospital bed in Abu Dhabi, Capt Machchhar said the first officer sitting next to him for two hours had shown no sign…
Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar recounted the harrowing experience of being attacked by his co-pilot during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv in a world exclusive interview with The National. The Boeing 737 plummeted 17,000 feet in under a minute as the first officer, who prosecutors claim was radicalized by online Islamist content, repeatedly struck Machchhar with an axe.
Despite suffering serious injuries to his head and arm, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door and allow the attack to be foiled by other crew members and passengers. All 172 people on board survived the incident. The first officer, who was detained in the UAE and faces terrorism charges, had no signs of unusual behavior and showed no intent to hijack the plane.
Machchhar's account provides a detailed narrative of the cockpit battle and the events leading up to the miraculous escape.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 3 other outlets
- 'Blows kept coming, I felt the aircraft going down': Flydubai captain on the cockpit battle to save his plane thenationalnews.com
- ‘That was when the battle for survival began’: flydubai captain recounts cockpit attack gulfnews.com
- 'The plane was diving': Flydubai pilot recounts cockpit attack israelnationalnews.com
