The Indian pilot who was stabbed by his co-pilot mid-air during an attempted hijacking has spoken out, describing the moments he helped save 182 lives on board a FlyDubai flight.Pilot Smit Machchhar, who was on the diverted flight bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday, recently discussed the life-threatening moments with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he continued to be treated in an Abu Dhabi hospital.As reported by Sky News, Machchhar recalled thinking he "could not let people die" after he fought to open the cockpit doors while still being attacked by his colleague.He added that he had "so many wounds" but managed to avert a disaster after he first fell to the floor from getting stabbed, stating, "I was fighting for my life."."At one point, I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives," he added. Although Machchhar was seriously injured, he still managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 descended sharply, according to witnesses and Israeli authorities.He was hailed as a hero, with world leaders saying he played a huge part in averting an incredibly tragic disaster. As reported by the New York Post, Modi told Machchhar his "courage, patience, and presence of mind" saved many lives..The flight was eventually diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after on-duty crew members "diverted and landed the aircraft safely."A regional officer stated the crew members were pilots in training.After Machchhar was attacked, the plane descended 18,000 feet, and although he was wounded and on the ground, he could sense the plane's steep descent."I have been flying planes for 17 years and serving as a captain for the last 11 years," stated Machchhar. "I can sense exactly what is happening with the aircraft even with my eyes closed. When I was down, I could feel that the aircraft was plummeting.".According to Machchhar's LinkedIn, he has worked with Flydubai for about four years, and prior to that, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, while serving as senior commander and line training captain.He has logged more than 9,750 flying hours with SpiceJet.Philip Kean, CEO of Mainland Air, the New Zealand flight school where Machchhar trained, stated pilots are taught how to take over if a fellow crew member becomes incapacitated.However, he points out that the training does not typically prepare them for a stabbing attack by a fellow pilot, Kean told the Associated Press."I don’t think there’s much in the handbook for being stabbed," stated Kean.."You’re friends and you’re flying together.""Nobody would expect … a person to have a go at you like that."Currently, the co-pilot is not being named publicly but is reported to be an Omani national who had worked for the airline for less than a year.Authorities are still investigating the Omani co-pilot's possible connection to terrorist activity or intent, while one Israeli official suggested he could have been targeting Jews.“This was a person who was willing to commit suicide,” the official told the Times of Israel.."His social media accounts [say] clearly that he has been radicalized into jihadist ideology. He talks about killing Jews."He was "someone characterized by very strange behavior, especially around religious observances that were out of step with his surroundings," a fellow pilot recounted to Israel's Channel 16 journalist Yosef Yisrael.“For instance, he used to pray a lot and would not shake hands with women," Yisrael stated about what the anonymous pilot told him."There is no other way to put it, we [FlyDubai] hired the services of a terrorist and nearly caused the deaths of 180 people,” the co-worker reportedly told Yisrael..The anonymous co-worker also pointed out it was strange an Omani national was able to work the flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, since to land a flight in Israel, pilots must hold passports from countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel, and Oman does not have such relations.
