{
  "id": 11629951,
  "title": "‘I couldn’t let everybody else die,’ says hero Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/i-couldnt-let-everybody-else-die-says-hero-flydubai-pilot-smit",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T07:27:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Egypt Independent",
    "slug": "egypt-independent",
    "url": "https://www.egyptindependent.com/i-couldnt-let-everybody-else-die-says-hero-flydubai-pilot-smit-machchhar/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Smit Machchhar, the courageous Flydubai pilot who fought off an attacker during a suspected hijacking attempt on flight FZ 1073, recounted his harrowing experience in an emotional phone call with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Machchhar, who was severely injured during the ordeal, said he kept fighting because he couldn't \"let everybody else die.\" He explained that at one point, he was on the ground in the cockpit, suffering massive blood loss and severe wounds, when he saw a door through which other passengers eventually entered to stop the attacker. Modi commended Machchhar's bravery, stating that his \"courage, patience and quick thinking… saved the lives of so many people.\" The veteran pilot is currently recovering at a hospital in Abu Dhabi, UAE, after initially being treated in Saudi Arabia. Machchhar's youngest son, a two-year-old, has yet to meet him in the hospital.",
  "summary": "Smit Machchhar, the hero Flydubai captain who fought off a savage attack by his copilot, kept fighting because he could not “let everybody else die,” he said in his first public remarks since Wednesday’s suspected hijacking attempt. “In that moment, I was fighting for my life,” Machchhar told India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a … The post ‘I couldn’t let everybody else die,’ says hero…",
  "key_points": [
    "Smit Machchhar, Flydubai pilot, fought off attacker during suspected hijacking",
    "Machchhar, severely injured, prevented others from dying",
    "Modi praised Machchhar's courage, patience and quick thinking"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Injured flydubai FZ1073 pilot Capt. Smit Machchhar 'recovering well': Indian Embassy in UAE",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/injured-flydubai-fz1073-pilot-capt-smit-machchhar-recovering-well",
        "published": "2026-10-03T07:43:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}