Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], October 1 (ANI): As passengers from the fllydubai flight that survived a terrifying mid-air hijack attempt landed at the Benu Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, there was universal praised for the heroes on board who saved 180 lives. One among them was the Pilot, Indian national Smit Machchhar.
It was Capt Machchhar who thwarted the attempts by his co-pilot to stab him and take control of the plane in an attempt to allegedly crash the plane.
Captain Machchhar is a seasoned pilot who currently flies as a direct-entry Captain with UAE-based carrier Flydubai. A veteran in the cockpit, Captain Machchhar brings over 13 years of commercial aviation experience, with an impressive log of 9,750 total flying hours, predominantly operating Boeing 737 (B737) aircraft. Prior to joining Flydubai, he had a distinguished 11-year tenure with an Indian airline, SpiceJet, where he served as a Line Training Captain.
His former boss, Chairman and Managing Director Spicejet Ajay Singh hailed the efforts of the pilot and said that all of India and the Spicjet family was proud of him.
Speaking to ANI from Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, Ajay Singh said, "I was incredibly proud to know of this, but this is the job of a pilot. His job is to protect the lives that have been entrusted to him. And in this case, 180 lives were entrusted to Captain Smit Machchhar, and he did a tremendous job saving and preserving those lives. So really incredibly proud of him. All of SpiceJet is proud of him, and of course, all of India is proud of him."
Ajay Singh says the objective of preserving his passengers’ lives would have been at the top of the pilot's mind and despite being under attack, Capt Machchar was able to open the cockpit door allowing for other passengers to aid in the rescue efforts and finally take control of the aircraft.
"The first thing that will go through a pilot's mind is preserving lives, saving lives. And remember that in this case, what really saved lives was the fact that he was able to open the door of that cockpit, and let me tell you that the handle which allows that door to be opened is actually on the co-pilot's side. So, it would have needed real courage, after being stabbed, to reach out to the co-pilot side and somehow find a way to unlatch that door. So the fact that he was able to do it essentially saved those lives because then passengers and other pilots were able to come into the cockpit and help him overpower the co-pilot and fly the plane back," Ajay Singh said.
Captain Machchar was able to activate the the cockpit door emergency release mechanism and communicate with the crew on board along with sending an emergency communication signal.
"The mechanics are that the cabin crew or anybody on the outside can punch a code in that door. But the door still doesn't open. It needs the captain to physically unlock the door. And that unlocking mechanism is actually on the side of the co-pilot. In this case, the co-pilot was actually attacking the captain, and he still managed to reach out and find a way to unlock that door. And that is possibly what saved lives,' Ajay Singh said.
Ajay Singh says that pilots and crew are trained specifically for emergency events and despite this being a rare situation the pilots training would have kicked in.
"They are trained first and foremost on safety, on what is to be done in situations where the safety of passengers and the aircraft is imperilled. And there are so many mock drills that happen on situations like this where you know, there is an attempt to hijack and attempt to take down take over controls of the planes, etc. It's a very rare phenomenon that you see that one captain actually attacks another. This is akin to what happened in 9/11 where pilots themselves took, you know, where people came into control of the plane by removing the pilots from the controls. So, it's extremely dangerous. It, you know, I think you just need so much more background information. I think airlines before they hire pilots, you need to do so many more psychometric studies which we do. When we hire pilots, we look at the mind-set of the pilots and try and measure it on a quantifiable score, but still, incidents of this sort happen and it's extremely dangerous," he said.
The Spicejet Chairman says that the crew and the pilot did a stellar job and Captain Machchhar's efforts embody the selfless spirit of Spicejet.
"I feel that so incredibly proud of the way the pilot behaved, the way the crew behaved. They fulfilled the responsibility of trying to save lives on board. This incident would have led to a loss of 180 lives, and incredible the way they behaved. It is the crew ultimately that saves you and the crew did a stellar job. We do feel extremely proud that Smit Machchhar was with SpiceJet the Honourable Prime Minister has recognised his bravery. So, very proud of him. All of the country is proud of him and, of course, SpiceJet is incredibly proud of him," Ajay Singh said.
For now, Captain Machchhar is recovering at a hospital in Tabuk city in northwest Saudi Arabia and receiving necessary medical attention. The Indian Mission in Saudi Arabia said it was in touch with his family and have assured them that they will continue to follow up on his health with Saudi authorities and extend all possible assistance for his wellbeing. (ANI)
"Would have needed real courage": Spicejet CMD Ajay Singh hails Capt Machhchar for effort in saving lives on flydubai flight
