Smit Machchhar: Stabbed Pilot Who Opened The Door, Saved 174

The call lasted nearly ten minutes. Smit Machchhar spoke from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi, a tube in his nose and bandages on his head and hands, wiping away tears as he told Prime Minister Narendra Modi what happened inside the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073. The video, released on the prime minister's social media channels on Friday, is the clearest account yet of an attack that nearly brought down a plane carrying 174 people.

Stabbed in the cockpit

The flight left Dubai for Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning. About two and a half hours in, over Saudi Arabia, the co-pilot — an Omani national — attacked Machchhar with a knife in an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft, according to Israeli officials and multiple news reports. Machchhar was stabbed and seriously wounded.

What happened next is now a matter of record, much of it in the pilot's own words. "I knew that the aircraft was going down... I had fallen to the ground. I told myself that the door is right there, just open it. I managed to do it and people entered," he told Modi, according to Reuters.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. Passengers near the front of the aircraft heard the commotion. When Machchhar, bleeding and on the floor, managed to unlock the fortified cockpit door, passengers and crew rushed in and overpowered the co-pilot. Among them, according to several reports, was an Israeli plumber seated near the front.

Then came the second stroke of luck. A reserve pair of flydubai pilots was travelling on board. They took the controls and landed the aircraft at Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia, about 83 minutes after the descent began. The co-pilot was arrested on landing. His motive is still unknown, and the UAE has ordered an investigation into the incident.

Who is Smit Machchhar

Machchhar is 40, a Mumbai-born pilot with 17 years of flying experience — 11 of them as a captain — and more than 9,750 flying hours, according to NDTV and the Hindustan Times. Reuters described him as hailing from Gujarat, the prime minister's home state.

"I have been flying for the last 17 years, have been a captain for the last 11 years. I can sense exactly what is happening with the aircraft even with my eyes closed," he told Modi. "When I was down, I could feel that the aircraft was plummeting."

Through the ordeal, he said, he recited the Hanuman Chalisa — the Hindu prayer to Lord Hanuman — something he told Modi he does whenever he faces difficulty. It is the detail from the call that has travelled furthest: a bleeding pilot on the cockpit floor, chanting, forcing himself up for one last push to the door.

The prime minister's call

Modi praised Machchhar's "courage, patience, and presence of mind," telling him: "You sustained such a severe injury and were fighting for life. Yet, even then, you did not care for your life, you cared for the lives of all the passengers." "140 crore Indians feel honoured because of you," he added, according to NDTV.

A day earlier, Modi had said Machchhar averted a "9/11-style tragedy," the Hindustan Times reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also praised the pilot, saying he helped thwart what could have been a "9/11-like" disaster, according to the Times of India.

Netanyahu went further in a Fox News interview, saying the co-pilot appeared suicidal and citing what he called "Islamist tendencies," USA Today reported. Those are Netanyahu's claims; investigators have not stated a motive, and the co-pilot has not been publicly named.

The Ashoka Chakra demand

The awards conversation started almost immediately. Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora wrote to PM Modi asking that Machchhar be considered for the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award. Deora said the pilot's actions showed "courage, selflessness and duty" in an extreme situation, and argued that recognising him would show courage is not confined to the battlefield or any one profession.

The Federation of Indian Pilots has also written to the Prime Minister's Office seeking a national bravery award for Machchhar, saying that despite serious injuries he kept commanding the flight and made critical decisions that helped bring it safely to an alternate airport. The federation has sent similar recommendations to the civil aviation secretary and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Recovering

India's ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, met Machchhar in hospital and said he was "very reassured" to find him in good health and recovering well, thanking the UAE government for the medical care. The pilot was first treated in Tabuk and later shifted to the UAE.

What we still don't know

The central unanswered question is motive. The co-pilot, described as an Omani national who had worked for flydubai for less than a year, is in custody in Saudi Arabia. The UAE is investigating the circumstances, including any possible terrorist links or prior planning. Until that investigation reports, everything about why he acted is speculation.

Aviation investigations move slowly by design. The cockpit voice recorder, the flight data, the crew's histories, and the airline's procedures will all be examined. Expect weeks, not days — and treat leaks in the meantime with caution.

Detail	What is verified
Flight	flydubai FZ1073, Dubai to Tel Aviv, Wednesday
Aircraft	Boeing 737 MAX 8
What happened	Co-pilot stabbed Captain Machchhar in alleged crash attempt
The descent	Nearly 14,000 ft in under 30 seconds
How it was stopped	Machchhar opened the cockpit door; passengers and crew overpowered the co-pilot
Landing	Reserve crew landed the plane at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
On board	174 people
Pilot	Smit Machchhar, 40, Mumbai-born; 17 yrs flying, 11 as captain
PM Modi	Spoke to him on video call from hospital; praised his courage
Awards	Ashoka Chakra sought by Milind Deora; bravery award sought by pilots' body
Investigation	Co-pilot arrested; UAE investigating; motive unknown

What happens next

The investigation is the thing to watch. The UAE has ordered a full probe, and Saudi Arabia holds the accused co-pilot. If the Ashoka Chakra moves forward, tradition points to a Republic Day announcement — gallantry awards are rarely rushed. And at some point Machchhar will give his first full interview from outside a hospital bed. Until then, the country has the ten-minute call: a wounded pilot, a prayer, and a door forced open in time.