Capt Smit Machchhar recounts cockpit attack: 'I had one last fight left in me'
Synopsis
Battered, nearly blind, and lying on the cockpit floor as the plane plunged, Indian pilot Capt Smit Machchhar made one final lunge for the door — and opened it. His first-person account, shared with Israeli PM Netanyahu who called it 'bordering on the miraculous', reveals just how close the flydubai flight came to catastrophe.
Key Takeaways
Capt Smit Machchhar recounted the cockpit attack on a flydubai flight bound for Israel during a meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on 4 October 2026 .
The co-pilot began the assault after asking to pray, striking Machchhar from behind with repeated blows that nearly eliminated his vision.
Machchhar recalled feeling the aircraft 'sharply going down' and hearing passengers screaming before making a final push to open the cockpit door.
Netanyahu called the pilot's actions 'bordering on the miraculous' and said he had 'saved the spirit of the world.' Both Netanyahu and PM Modi have invited Machchhar to light a ceremonial flame at Israel's next Independence Day celebrations.
PM Narendra Modi had spoken to Machchhar by telephone the previous day, praising his 'immense courage and unwavering resolve.'
Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who foiled an alleged attempt to seize control of a flydubai aircraft en route to Israel, has provided a harrowing first-person account of the moments inside the cockpit when his co-pilot turned on him. Speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on 4 October 2026, Machchhar described how repeated blows to the back of his head, a near-total loss of vision, and a plummeting aircraft left him with only one choice — fight back or die.
How the Attack Unfolded
Machchhar said the flight had begun as a routine journey. When his co-pilot requested a moment to pray — something the captain described as a common practice among local passengers and crew — Machchhar looked towards the front of the cockpit out of respect.
'While he was praying, out of respect, I was looking at the front and not at the back, and suddenly, after about four to five minutes, there was a big blow to the back of my head,' he recounted.
His immediate instinct was that the aircraft itself had suffered catastrophic damage. 'My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft, that something is not right... but after that the blows kept coming, one after the other and that's when I realised that it's not the aircraft, it's the other guy who is in the cockpit with me,' he said.
Loss of Vision and the Aircraft Going Down
Machchhar said the initial blows were severe enough to nearly blind him, leaving him struggling to mount any immediate defence. 'I did try and stop him, but because of his initial blows, my vision was almost like nothing, and I was completely blurred out,' he said.
He recalled feeling the aircraft pitch sharply downward during the struggle. 'And at that point, the next feeling I had was that the aircraft was sharply going down,' he said. 'My memory is still in bits and pieces right now, but this is what I remember out of that time.'
Lying on the cockpit floor, battered and barely able to see, he could hear passengers screaming as the plane descended. It was in that moment, he said, that he made his decision.
The Final Push That Saved the Flight
Machchhar said he managed to open the cockpit door once during the struggle, but reportedly the co-pilot shut it again. He then gathered whatever strength remained for one final effort.
'And as I was telling the Ambassador here, I had that one last fight left in me... Call it personal or call it for people, I did it because if I didn't do it, I was going to die, and that's when I pushed against everything... I gave everything that I had and went for the door and opened the door,' he said.
Once the door was open, waiting passengers and crew moved in to subdue the co-pilot, restoring control of the aircraft. 'And thankfully, people were waiting to pounce back... took over control and the rest is what you know,' Machchhar said.
Netanyahu's Response and Invitation to Israel
Prime Minister Netanyahu praised Machchhar's composure and courage in extraordinary terms. 'I'm amazed at your courage, at your coolness of judgment under impossible conditions,' he said, calling the pilot's actions remarkable and 'bordering on the miraculous.'
Netanyahu also framed the incident in broader terms, arguing that the pilot had done more than save the lives of those aboard. 'You saved so many souls. I think you saved something bigger. You saved the spirit of the world to realise that a brave pilot and brave passengers can overcome this evil, however threatening, however violent. It's something that is being justly hailed around the world,' he said.
'You're a hero of Israel. You're a hero of India. You're a hero of the entire world,' Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu extended an invitation to Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a celebratory flame at Israel's next Independence Day ceremony. He also conveyed personal wishes to the pilot's family, asking him to pass regards from himself and his wife.
PM Modi's Earlier Call and Recognition
The conversation with Netanyahu came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Machchhar by telephone and praised him for protecting the lives of those on board despite sustaining serious injuries. Modi had said the pilot displayed 'immense courage and unwavering resolve' during the incident. Machchhar continues to recover from those serious injuries as tributes pour in from both India and Israel.
Point of View
Afforded the intimacy of the flight deck, can exploit procedural norms — here, the courtesy of averting one's gaze during prayer — to launch a surprise attack. That the aircraft was brought back under control by a gravely injured pilot and cabin passengers, rather than any external security system, underscores how thin the last line of defence truly is. The warm diplomatic theatre surrounding Machchhar's recognition is well-deserved, but it should not substitute for a hard review of two-person cockpit protocols and co-pilot vetting standards across the region.
NationPress
4 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened on the flydubai flight that Capt Smit Machchhar was piloting?
An alleged attempt was made to seize control of the flydubai aircraft bound for Israel when Machchhar's co-pilot attacked him from behind inside the cockpit, striking him repeatedly and causing serious injuries. Machchhar eventually managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot and restore control of the aircraft.
How did Capt Machchhar manage to stop the attack?
Despite near-total loss of vision from the blows and falling to the cockpit floor, Machchhar gathered his remaining strength to push against the cockpit door and force it open. Passengers waiting outside then rushed in to subdue the attacker and regain control of the plane.
What did Israeli PM Netanyahu say to Capt Machchhar?
Netanyahu told Machchhar his actions were 'bordering on the miraculous' and called him 'a hero of Israel, a hero of India, and a hero of the entire world.' He also said the pilot had saved 'the spirit of the world' by proving that brave crew and passengers can overcome such attacks. Netanyahu invited Machchhar and PM Modi to light a ceremonial flame at Israel's next Independence Day.
What did PM Narendra Modi say about the incident?
PM Modi telephoned Capt Machchhar the day before his Jerusalem meeting with Netanyahu and praised him for displaying 'immense courage and unwavering resolve' while protecting the lives of passengers and crew despite sustaining serious injuries.
Why did Machchhar initially not suspect the co-pilot?
Machchhar said the co-pilot had asked to pray, which he described as a common practice among local passengers and crew. Out of respect, Machchhar looked towards the front of the cockpit and away from the co-pilot, giving no forewarning of the imminent assault.
