Smit Machchhar was already injured when he managed to open the cockpit door.
The Indian captain was piloting Flydubai flight FZ1073, which had taken off from Dubai bound for Tel Aviv. According to Israeli officials, his co-pilot stabbed him in the cockpit and allegedly tried to crash the plane. The aircraft lost more than 5.000 meters of altitude in less than two minutes, according to Flightradar24 data.
Machchhar opened the door and called for help before collapsing. This allowed a passenger and a crew member to enter and subdue the attacker, and the plane landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu called him “a true hero” and said he had saved the lives of 174 people. The Embassy of India in Saudi Arabia reported that his condition was stable.
Aviation was never his childhood dream: at 19, he was studying business administration to join the family business. Today, with nearly 10.000 flight hours, he is stable in a Saudi hospital. A true hero.