Dubai: A flydubai captain has revealed how his co-pilot repeatedly struck him inside the cockpit during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, leaving him bleeding, slipping in and out of consciousness and desperately trying to summon help as he fought for his life.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News Arabia, Indian pilot Smit Machchhar recounted the September 30 attack, revealing how an apparently routine flight turned into a struggle for survival about two hours after take-off.
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Machchhar, who is still receiving medical treatment in the UAE, recalled that the flight had initially proceeded normally.
The situation changed when his co-pilot asked another pilot travelling on board, who was scheduled to operate the return flight from Tel Aviv, to leave the cockpit so that he could pray.
While his co-pilot was praying, Machchhar was checking the expected landing time, remaining fuel and weather conditions.
"While I was checking the computer for the timing and other things, I suddenly received a very hard blow to the back of my head," he told Sky News Arabia.
"It was a powerful blow, and I felt it had come from something very sharp and hard. At that point, I had no idea what had hit me."
'He kept hitting me'
Machchhar recalled falling forward after the initial blow, believing that something had broken off from the aircraft's ceiling and struck him.
His first thought was that the plane had suffered catastrophic damage.
"At that moment, I fell forward, and the first thought that crossed my mind was that something had broken off from the aircraft's ceiling and that catastrophic damage had occurred," he recalled.
Drawing on his training, the captain attempted to regain his composure, get up and check the aircraft's systems.
But within seconds, he realised that the blows were continuing.
"I realised within seconds that the attack was continuing. He kept hitting me," Machchhar said.
"When I turned around at one point, I understood what was happening. He was saying something while striking me, but I could not understand him."
The captain also revealed that his vision had been severely affected by the initial blow.
He later learned from a doctor that his field of vision had narrowed almost immediately to just a few centimetres.
A desperate attempt to summon help
Machchhar's immediate priority was to protect himself from further blows.
He quickly released his seat belt, turned around and attempted to fend off the attack, suffering another blow to his hand.
By then, he understood what was happening.
He began shouting the name of the other captain travelling on board, hoping to bring him back into the cockpit.
"My immediate reaction was to call the other captain who was still on board. I was shouting his name and trying to open the door," he recalled.
"The switch was very close to me. I was just trying to let someone in to help me."
Amid the struggle and shouting, Machchhar lost consciousness for the first time.
He remembered managing to open the cockpit door and hearing voices and screaming.
The door was then closed again after the co-pilot threatened to strike others as well, according to Machchhar's account.
'I was losing consciousness because of blood loss'
The captain recalled feeling increasingly weak as blood continued to flow from his injuries.
He was barely able to remain conscious.
Shortly afterwards, he heard the aircraft's engines become quieter and felt the plane begin to descend.
Having flown for many years, he understood what was happening without needing to check the instruments.
"I was losing consciousness and regaining it because of the blood loss, but there comes a moment when you tell yourself that you have to fight for your life," he recalled.
"That was when the battle for survival began."
Machchhar acknowledged that parts of the incident remain fragmented in his memory.
He has been speaking with doctors and psychologists in an effort to understand why he has been unable to piece together everything that happened.
He recalled struggling towards the cockpit door, bracing his leg against something and pushing with all his strength.
His next memory was of the door being open and himself lying between the cockpit and the aircraft's galley.
'What my colleague did deserves recognition'
Machchhar recalled the panic that followed when the cockpit door was opened.
"When the door opened, the scene was completely different. Of course, there was panic and screaming," he said.
He paid tribute to his colleague, who took control of the aircraft and helped bring the emergency under control.
"What my other colleague did, taking over the controls and saving the situation, deserves recognition," he said.
"It is something I will carry with me until the last day of my life."
'The determination of everyone to survive'
Asked what had stayed with him most from the incident, Machchhar recalled how memories of the first blow continued to affect him in the days that followed.
"At first, immediately after the incident, I kept having flashbacks of the first blow," he said.
He recounted how the memory would return unexpectedly, even while he was sitting normally, causing his heart to race.
But the most enduring memory, he explained, was the determination shown by everyone involved.
"What I will carry with me most from that day is the determination, the absolute determination of everyone to survive."
Machchhar said he did not feel safe until the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia.
The first person he spoke to after landing was his two-year-old child.
Flydubai captain thanks UAE for medical care
The Indian pilot also expressed gratitude for the medical care he received in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where he continues to undergo treatment.
"From the first day, the way we were cared for, the way I was brought back to the UAE, and even the care I received in Saudi Arabia, I will never forget it for as long as I live," he said.
He expressed particular appreciation for the medical attention he received after returning to the Emirates.
"I cannot even put the medical care into words. This is something for which I would like to thank the UAE Government."
The incident occurred on September 30, 2026, aboard a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Saudi Arabia