I opened cockpit door of plane while being attacked, Indian pilot tells Modi
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar opened the cockpit door of a Flydubai plane to stop a rapid descent while being attacked by his co-pilot. He spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video call, explaining that he acted to save the passengers despite being injured on the floor. The pilot was airlifted to Abu Dhabi for treatment and is currently reported to be in stable condition.
- ▪Captain Smit Machchhar opened the cockpit door from inside to allow passengers to help control the plane's descent.
- ▪The incident occurred on a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, which was forced to divert to Saudi Arabia after the attack.
- ▪Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the pilot's courage and decision-making during a video call.
- ▪Machchhar was initially treated in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi where he is recovering well.
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| Publication time | Fri, 02 Oct 2026 07:20:25 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-10-02T07:25:44.680Z |
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I opened cockpit door of plane while being attacked, Indian pilot tells ModiByVikas PandeyReporting fromDelhiPublished2 October 2026, 08:07 BSTUpdated 4 minutes agoIndian pilot Smit Machchhar has said he opened the cockpit door of the Israel-bound Flydubai plane to allow passengers to come in and halt its rapid descent.In a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Capt Machchhar said he was on the ground and still being attacked by his co-pilot when he realised the plane was sinking and he had to do something."I was lying on the floor injured but I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside," he said."Others came in and also played a role [in controlling the situation].
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