The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
'I was seated, and he was behind me praying': flydubai pilot reveals what happened next
flydubai captain Smit Machchhar tells Sky News Arabia how he was struck on the head while seated in the cockpit and repeatedly lost consciousness during flight FZ1073.
A flydubai captain has described an attack in the cockpit of a Boeing 737, saying a man stood behind him to pray and then struck him on the back of the head, causing him to lose consciousness multiple times.
Captain Smit Machchhar, speaking in an interview with Sky News Arabia, said the cockpit was relatively small and that he avoided looking at the man out of respect while he prayed.
He recalled that the hit was exceptionally forceful and that he did not immediately understand what had struck him, describing the impact as very hard and surprising.
Machchhar said he drifted in and out of consciousness during the incident, and he later recalled deciding that he had to take action to survive, telling himself that he couldn’t die in that moment.
Following the incident, the cockpit door was opened and he described a chaotic scene with panic and screaming, before his colleague took control of the aircraft and helped bring the situation under control.
The flight, designated FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, with the airline confirming that all 172 passengers and crew were safe.