{
  "id": 11414283,
  "title": "‘Told myself, this will be last push’: Smit Machchhar to PM on flydubai cockpit fight",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/told-myself-this-will-be-last-push-smit-machchhar-to-pm-on-flydubai",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-02T10:17:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express - India",
    "slug": "the-indian-express-india",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/india/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pm-narendra-modi-video-call-10903873/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a harrowing incident that has captivated the world, Captain Smit Machchhar, the pilot of a FlyDubai flight, bravely confronted his co-pilot who attempted to crash the aircraft mid-flight. The fight took place during the descent of the plane, which was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 170 passengers on board. Captain Machchhar, who was severely wounded, managed to open the cockpit door and the passengers overpowered the attacker, preventing a potential catastrophe. Speaking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a video call from the hospital in Abu Dhabi, Captain Machchhar recounted his thoughts during the ordeal. He admitted to feeling a mix of fear and determination, telling himself \"this will be the last push, Smit, do it, the door is right there\" as he took decisive action to save lives. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, praised Captain Machchhar's bravery, stating that he had \"saved 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals\". Indian Prime Minister Modi offered his heartfelt commendations, describing the pilot's actions as an exemplification of the nation's values of non-violence and selflessness.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Economic Times",
        "title": "PM Modi speaks to injured pilot Smit Machchhar",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/pm-modi-speaks-to-injured-pilot-smit-machchhar",
        "published": "2026-10-02T06:19:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NDTV - India News",
        "title": "'I Was Injured But Couldn't Let Passengers Die': Captain Smit Machchhar To PM Modi",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/i-was-injured-but-couldnt-let-passengers-die-captain-smit-machchhar",
        "published": "2026-10-02T07:00:53.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu",
        "title": "PM Modi speaks to flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchaar",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/pm-modi-speaks-to-flydubai-pilot-captain-smit-machchaar",
        "published": "2026-10-02T07:37:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Press Journal",
        "title": "‘Son Of Mumbai’: Milind Deora Urges Ashoka Chakra For Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/son-of-mumbai-milind-deora-urges-ashoka-chakra-for-flydubai-captain",
        "published": "2026-10-02T10:11:58.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "‘Told myself, this will be last push’: Smit Machchhar to PM on flydubai cockpit fight",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/told-myself-this-will-be-last-push-smit-machchhar-to-pm-on-flydubai-11419172",
        "published": "2026-10-02T10:17:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "‘Our hero’: India rallies behind flydubai Captain Smit after cockpit attack",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/our-hero-india-rallies-behind-flydubai-captain-smit-after-cockpit",
        "published": "2026-10-02T10:56:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times",
        "title": "Pilots’ body urges PM Modi to give flydubai captain Smit Machchhar a bravery award for saving 182 lives",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/pilots-body-urges-pm-modi-to-give-flydubai-captain-smit-machchhar-a",
        "published": "2026-10-02T10:58:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News (US)",
        "title": "'The last push': FlyDubai captain Smit Machchhar recounts harrowing cockpit attack",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/the-last-push-flydubai-captain-smit-machchhar-recounts-harrowing",
        "published": "2026-10-02T11:51:39.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}