FlyDubai pilot Smit Machhar survives axe attack by co-pilot, operated on in Saudi Arabia
Captain Smit Machhar suffered a severe depressed skull fracture on flight FZ1073 and, after surgery in Saudi Arabia, is out of danger in an Abu Dhabi military hospital.
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A chilling incident took place on 30 September on flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, the Israeli capital. The aircraft was at 35,000 feet when Omani co-pilot Hamam Al-Hamami attacked the chief pilot, Captain Smit Machhar, who is of Indian origin, with an axe in a bid to kill him. Captain Smit was struck deep blows on the head and body.
Despite being drenched in blood and losing clear vision, Captain Smit did not give up. Without regard for his life, he opened the cockpit's automatic-lock door from inside. This one courageous decision saved the lives of the 180 passengers and crew on board.
The co-pilot had struck Captain Smit hard on the head with the emergency axe (crash axe) kept in the cockpit. According to the medical report, the attack caused a very serious "depressed skull fracture". In such a fracture, a sharp blow to the head breaks the skull bone and a fragment is pushed directly into the brain. The bone presses on brain tissue, carrying a major risk of internal bleeding, brain damage and death.
The aircraft made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Captain Smit was immediately admitted to a hospital there. A team of specialist Saudi doctors performed emergency skull surgery (skull reconstruction surgery) to relieve the pressure on his brain. Once his condition stabilised after the surgery, he was airlifted to a military hospital in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for further specialised treatment. His condition is now out of danger and he is responding well to treatment.
While the struggle in the cockpit was still going on, the deranged co-pilot took control of the aircraft and tried to bring it down rapidly. In just two to three minutes, the Boeing 737 Max descended from 34,000 feet to 16,000 feet. The aircraft's dangerous movement triggered emergency signals on radar. Israeli agencies suspected a 9/11-style terror attack, or a plot to hijack the aircraft and crash it into Tel Aviv or Ben Gurion Airport.
Given the gravity of the situation, Israel immediately closed its civil airspace and, for security reasons, scrambled fighter jets to shoot the aircraft down in the air. At the same time, Saudi Arabia also kept fighter jets deployed in the air to protect its airspace. Israeli fighter pilots tried to peer through the aircraft's window to see what was happening inside.
As soon as Captain Smit opened the cockpit door, off-duty pilots on board and some brave Israeli passengers rushed into the cockpit. Among these passengers were a doctor and a plumber. Showing presence of mind, they seized co-pilot Hamam Al-Hamami and tied him up. The off-duty pilots and passengers took back control of the aircraft and steadied it in the air.
As soon as the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia, security forces there immediately arrested the co-pilot. Preliminary investigation has found that Al-Hamami had plotted to crash the aircraft into Tel Aviv in a major suicide terror attack. Captain Smit Machhar's remarkable courage saved the lives of 180 innocent passengers, and his bravery is being praised across the world.
