‘Do something, you can’t die like this’: Captain Smit Machchhar recounts terrifying flydubai flight assault

Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar has recalled the terrifying moments of an assault that left him struggling to stay conscious and wondering whether he would survive. In an interview with Sky News Arabia, he described how the situation quickly became a fight for survival, with passengers’ safety also weighing on his mind.

The captain’s account captures the confusion and panic of the ordeal, from a powerful blow to the head to the sight of people screaming when a door opened. He also remembered two fellow pilots who responded in very different ways, one turning to prayer and another taking over the aircraft’s controls in a move Machchhar said he would never forget.

‘You can’t die like this’

Asked whether there was a moment when he thought he would not survive, Machchhar said there was.

“Yes, there was a moment when I realised (that),” he said, recalling how he told himself, “Smit, do something, you can’t die like this.”

“I’m not saying I accepted my death. I was like, do something, otherwise…” he added.

‘I was in and out of consciousness’

The captain recalled being hit hard on the head while carrying out his duties. The impact was severe enough to leave him drifting in and out of consciousness.

“I was doing my job, there was a hard hit on my head. I felt it was something very strong hit. I was in and out of consciousness,” he said.

His memories of what followed are filled with panic and noise. When the door opened, he remembered being face down as people screamed around him.

“When the door was open, it was a completely different scene. I remember being face down, and of course, the panic which was there, the screaming which was there,” he recalled.

The colleague he says he will never forget

Machchhar also spoke about a fellow pilot who began praying during the ordeal. He chose not to look towards his colleague at the time, saying he wanted to respect that moment.

But it was another colleague’s actions that left a particularly lasting impression. Machchhar credited the pilot who took over the aircraft’s controls with helping save the day.

“The other thing, how my other colleague took over the controls and saved the day again, is something that I’ll keep with me till I die,” he said.

The captain said the experience would remain with him for the rest of his life. Alongside the fear and uncertainty, he remembers the colleague who stepped in when the situation demanded it.

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