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An Indian pilot who was gravely wounded during an alleged mid-flight assault by his co-pilot aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv service has described how he crawled toward the cockpit door in a last-ditch effort to prevent the aircraft from crashing, telling Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he was determined not to let the passengers die.
Captain Smit Machchhar made the remarks on Friday during a video call from his hospital bed, footage of which was shared publicly by the Indian prime minister's office. The conversation offered the first detailed account from the flight deck of an incident that has prompted investigations in multiple countries and drawn international attention.
"I was trying to save my own life, but I knew I could not let all those people die," Machchhar told Modi, according to the video released on social media. The pilot spoke while still receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained during the altercation.
The Boeing 737, operated by the Dubai-based carrier Flydubai, was carrying 174 passengers when the confrontation occurred on Wednesday. The flight had departed Dubai and was bound for Tel Aviv, one of the routes the airline operates between the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
Machchhar, who has accumulated 17 years of aviation experience, including 11 years as a captain, recounted the moment he realized the aircraft was losing altitude while he lay injured. He described the situation as a race against time in which his professional instincts took over despite his physical condition.
"I had suffered so many injuries that I had collapsed. At that time, I could feel that the aircraft was going down. I knew this was the last push, that the door was right there," he said. "I was being hit even then, but I just opened the door and everyone came in."
The captain explained that his long career in aviation allowed him to interpret the aircraft's behavior even as he was incapacitated, giving him the awareness that the plane needed immediate intervention. His decision to force the cockpit door open allowed passengers and crew to enter and join the struggle for control of the aircraft.
The circumstances surrounding the confrontation remain the subject of an active investigation. According to the available account, the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar, leaving him wounded and triggering a physical fight over the controls of the plane. The motive and sequence of events are still being established by the authorities handling the case.
Following the struggle, passengers succeeded in diverting the aircraft and forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The diversion prevented what officials have described as a potentially catastrophic outcome, with the plane having been brought down safely on Saudi territory rather than continuing toward its intended destination.
Data cited from the flight-tracking website Flightradar24 indicated that the aircraft plummeted approximately 17,000 feet within the span of a single minute. Passengers on board described rushing toward the cockpit and fighting for control of the plane after the sudden loss of altitude, an account that aligns with the flight data.
Modi, in his public comments, praised the captain's conduct, saying his actions had helped save hundreds of lives and had averted "a great tragedy." The Indian prime minister's decision to publicize the call underscored the widespread recognition Machchhar has received in India and beyond.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier credited Machchhar, along with the flight's passengers, with preventing a disaster. His remarks added to a growing chorus of official statements from several governments acknowledging the role played by those on board.
The incident has also raised broader questions about aviation security, particularly regarding screening and monitoring of flight crew members. The alleged involvement of a co-pilot in an attack on the commanding officer has focused attention on the procedures airlines use to assess the mental state and reliability of personnel entrusted with control of commercial aircraft.
The United Arab Emirates has been probing whether the incident had a terrorism dimension, while investigators in other jurisdictions have been examining the circumstances that led to the confrontation. The overlapping inquiries reflect the international character of the flight, which involved an Emirati carrier, an Indian captain, and a route linking the Gulf to Israel.
The case has additionally drawn attention to the security environment surrounding flights to and from Israel, a route that has been the subject of heightened scrutiny. Flydubai suspended its flights to and from Israel following the incident, a precautionary step the airline took while authorities assessed the situation.
The captain's account, delivered from a hospital bed and broadcast by the Indian prime minister's office, has resonated widely because it places a human voice at the center of an event otherwise defined by flight data, official statements, and diplomatic reactions. His description of pushing through the cockpit door while still being struck has become the most vivid element of the story.
As investigations continue, the exact sequence of the altercation and the reasons behind it are likely to be set out in official findings. For now, Machchhar's own words remain the most direct testimony available, framing his actions not as heroism but as the fulfillment of a duty he felt he could not abandon.
Machchhar's statement that he acted because he could not allow the passengers to die has been echoed by the two prime ministers who have publicly honored him. The story of the flight's emergency diversion, the passengers who stormed the cockpit, and the wounded captain who opened the door has become an account of collective action under extreme pressure, one that investigators will continue to examine in the weeks ahead.
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