Captain pilot Smit Machchhar, who survived the attack on the Flydubai plane, spoke for the first time

Following the incident on the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which was prevented at the last minute before it turned into a major disaster, the injured captain of the plane, Smit Machchhar, spoke for the first time.

'I COULDN'T LET EVERYONE DIE'

According to CNN International, Machchhar, who was seriously injured in the violent struggle with his assistant in the cockpit, described the moments of horror with the words, "At that moment, I was fighting for my life, but at the same time, I knew that I could not let everyone die."

The incident on Wednesday, FZ 1073, occurred while the plane was heading towards Tel Aviv. Allegedly, the co-pilot attacked captain Machchhar. A possible disaster was prevented when some passengers on the plane entered the cockpit and neutralized the attacker, and the backup pilots regained control of the plane.

It was stated that Machchhar, who was seriously injured during the attack, suffered blood loss and was seriously injured. The images shared from the cockpit after the incident showed traces of blood and the image of the captain found injured on the ground.

'I HAD TO GET UP ONCE AGAIN'

Machchhar, who is receiving treatment at the hospital in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, had a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.

The pilot, who got very emotional while talking about his experiences, said that he fell to the ground during the attack and realized how seriously injured he was at that moment.

"At that moment, I was fighting for my life. I was so badly injured that I fell to the ground. At that time, I was thinking, 'What if I can't get up?'" Machchhar said. Describing the moment when he realized that the plane was going down, the pilot said that he forced himself to take action again.

HE MANAGED TO OPEN THE COCKPIT DOOR

"I was on the ground and noticed that the plane was going down. At that moment, I thought, 'One last move, Smit! Come on, do it. The door is right there,'" said Machchhar, explaining that the attacker continued to hit him at that time.

Stating that he then managed to open the cockpit door, the pilot said, "Then everyone came." He stated that several passengers entered the cockpit, held the attacker and neutralized him.

'YOU SAVED MANY PEOPLE'S LIVES'

Indian Prime Minister Modi praised Machchhar's courage and composure during the meeting. Modi said to the experienced pilot: "Your courage, patience and quick thinking saved the lives of many people."

Pointing out that Machchhar was literally fighting for his life during the incident, Modi emphasized the importance of the pilot thinking about the safety of other passengers on the plane while fighting for his own life. Machchhar, who had emotional moments during the meeting, apologized to Prime Minister Modi for crying.

HE HAS NOT SEEN HIS CHILDREN YET

It was stated that Machchhar, the father of two children, lost a significant amount of blood after the attack. One of the passengers on the plane and the dentist, Shota Musaev, had previously said that the pilot was "very seriously injured" and "lost a large amount of blood."

After the incident, the plane had to make an emergency landing and was first directed to Saudi Arabia. Machchhar, who received first aid here, was then taken to Abu Dhabi for treatment.

Pilot also mentioned his family during his meeting with Modi. Stating that his daughter visited him in the hospital but was afraid when he saw his current condition, Machchhar said that his younger son, who is only two years old, could not see him.

TERRORIST INVESTIGATION FOR ATTACKER

On the other hand, the co-pilot, who was stated to be the suspect of the incident, was transferred from Saudi Arabia, where the plane made an emergency landing, to the United Arab Emirates. It was reported that a terrorism investigation was launched against the suspect.

Authorities have not yet publicly identified the suspect. It is not yet confirmed which weapon was used in the attack and the exact motivation for the incident.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Israeli media had announced that the plane departing from Dubai to Tel Aviv sent first the general emergency code "7700" and then the code "7500", indicating that the plane had been hijacked, while it was sailing in Jordanian airspace.

Channel 12 television stated that the incident was caused by a fight between the two pilots flying the passenger plane, and claimed that the co-pilot on the plane was Omani and tried to crash the plane by stabbing the other pilot.

The news report claimed that the co-pilot, who was claimed to be an Omani citizen, stabbed the captain pilot several times, and it was claimed that the cabin crew and some passengers entered the cockpit and interfered with the co-pilot.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that "there were signs that one of the pilots attempted to crash the plane" in the incident; UAE-owned airline Flydubai reported that the cause of the fight that broke out in the cockpit of the plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv was unclear.