Captain Smit Machchhar reveals more details of the flydubai incident; says he hopes to return to action soon

Recovering well at Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi, Captain Smit Machchhar has given a detailed account of what he recalls from the day of the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073. In interviews with The National and Sky News Arabia, published on Friday evening, Captain Smit recounted how he was attacked by his co-pilot on the Dubai to Tel Aviv flight on 30th September. He has described the repeated blows, his attempts to get help, the cockpit door opening and shutting, and how he repeatedly lost consciousness as he fought to survive.

Just before the attack, the other captain travelling as deadweight crew and who Captain Smit has described as a good friend, came into the cockpit and the two discussed their roasters, schedules, etc. Around this time, the co-pilot wanted took a toilet break even as the two captains continued their conversation. A few minutes into the conversation, the co-pilot said he wanted to pray. Accordingly, the other captain stepped out of the cockpit and the co-pilot started praying, positioned just behind Captain Smit.

Captain Smit was seated, checking routine information like expected landing time on his computer, “And that’s when it started,” he said. He suddenly felt a very hard hit at the back of his head. The impact was so hard that he fell forward, almost falling on his control column and he thought there was something catastrophically wrong with the aircraft structure. But in the next couple of seconds, as the hits kept coming, he managed to glance back and realised what was going on. The person hitting him was his colleague in the cockpit, that he thought was supposed to be part of the team.

Captain Smit said that his vision had become very narrow because of the blows, restricted to just a few inches and he could only see outlines. His immediate reaction was to guard himself from further hits. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, turned around and tried to block the blows. “And that’s when something flipped and I said, okay, I need to get some help in here,” he recalled. Captain Smit started screaming the other Captain’s name, tried to reach the switch to open the cockpit door and get help. Amid the screaming and everything going on, he lost consciousness for the first time, he said.

He remembers being able to open the door, there was some shouting between the other captain and the co-pilot, and the door shut immediately after this. Barely staying conscious, Captain Smit heard the engine sounds going down and he felt the aircraft going into a dive. Having flown for a long time, Captain Smit said, he did not need the instruments to understand that the engines were spooling down and the aircraft was going down.

Throughout this time, he was in and out of consciousness, he recalled. Smit said his memories of what happened next are still fragmented. But he remembers trying to reach the cockpit door. The next thing he remembers is lying face down between the cockpit and the galley, with the cockpit door open. He recalled a scene of panic, screaming and chaos. Several people were trying to control the situation in the cramped space around the cockpit entrance.

Captain Smit said he was eventually pulled out of the cockpit and the senior cabin crew member reached him and helped him. Looking back, Smit said there was a moment when he thought he might not survive. “I told myself that, Smith, do something. You can’t die like this,” he said. He had not accepted his death, but realised he had to do something or he might not survive.

It was the first time Captain Smit had met the co-pilot, and he said their interaction before the attack was usual and normal. He said there was nothing in their interaction that made him suspect anything was wrong. “It was the first time we met… there were some small talks… But nowhere till the point that anything would have caused me to think that, ‘Hey, hold on, there’s something off.’” Captain Smit also added that flying with new crew members was a routine part of the job and that the flight had started like any other, with no uncertainty about the journey.

Captain Smit acknowledged the role played by his crew during the incident, describing them as his “very, very, very efficient crew who saved my life”. He also praised the other captain who took over the controls of the aircraft in an emergency. “The other thing, how my other colleague took over the controls and saved the day again is commendable. It’s something that I’ll keep with me till I die.” He also thanked the passengers saying “everyone did their best” and expressed gratitude to people wishing him for his recovery from across the world.

Captain Smit also expressed gratitude to the UAE government for the medical care and support he received following the incident. “The medical care which I was given and the sheer support of the entire UAE government I will never forget in my life.”

On being asked about the source of his courage to face such odds, he said he valued mental power & mental preparedness; and in that moment, it was like survival instinct kicked in for him and all the others onboard, on the day it mattered.

Captain Smit looked in good health in the interview, smiling and articulating well. Speaking from his hospital bed, he said the experienced medical team had brought him to a stage where his care could now be handed over to his family. Looking ahead, he expressed optimism about returning to work soon, saying he could not wait to put on his uniform and get back to flying, “I will be back in action hopefully soon. And I can’t wait to put on the uniform and get back to work”. Despite the traumatic experience, Smit said his love for aviation remained unchanged, “Did my love die for aviation? Not at all. Not at all.”

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