FlyDubai captain said he had “one more fight left in me” and opened cockpit door
FlyDubai Captain Smit Machchhar recounts his struggle to save passengers during a mid-flight attack by his co-pilot. The captain managed to open the cockpit door despite being struck with an ax, allowing others to intervene and stabilize the aircraft.
Why it matters
Highlights a critical aviation security incident and the heroic actions taken to prevent a mass-casualty disaster.
The FlyDubai hero captain revealed new details of his fight to save the passengers aboard flight FZ1073 in an emotional telephone conversation with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, released by his office on Saturday evening. The UAE, which is leading the investigation, said the co-pilot attacked the flight’s captain with the cockpit’s crash ax and tried to take control of the plummeting plane in a “terrorist attack” on Wednesday.Captain Smit Machchhar told Netanyahu he felt he had “one more fight left” in him when in a critical state he reached for the cockpit door once again to save the 174 passengers and 6 crew members, while the co-pilot kept attacking him and putting the aircraft in a steep defence.He described how the attack started saying that the co-pilot asked to pray in the cockpit which he did not consider an unusual request and “and out of respect for him, I…
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