Now Reading: Captain Smit Machchhar recounts cockpit attack on Flydubai flight
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Captain Smit Machchhar recounts cockpit attack on Flydubai flight
Captain Smit Machchhar recounts cockpit attack on Flydubai flight
Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar, who was attacked by his co-pilot on Flydubai Flight FZ1073 on 30 September, has described the ordeal in detail. Speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, 3 October, Machchhar said the Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, asked to pray and then struck him repeatedly from behind. The Boeing 737 plunged more than 14,000 feet in about 30 seconds before passengers and crew subdued the attacker and helped land the plane safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar, recovering at an Abu Dhabi hospital, said he opened the cockpit door with ‘one last fight left in me’. UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed visited him, and PM Narendra Modi spoke to him. Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel announced the Visisht Gujarat Garima Award for him. Authorities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel are investigating the attack. Netanyahu has invited Machchhar and PM Modi to Israel's Independence Day.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Business Today's first article groups the Flydubai attack with four older incidents under a hero-pilot frame, while its second piece and The Indian Express focus exclusively on Machchhar's account. The Express adds detail from Netanyahu's claim that the co-pilot underwent ‘Islamist radical indoctrination’, a statement Business Today omits, and reports that Machchhar recited the Hanuman Chalisa during the attack. Business Today instead leads with the royal commendation from Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan. Both outlets uniformly report that the UAE is investigating the motive and whether the attack was terrorism-linked. The investigation's findings, when announced, will clarify the attack's roots.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): businesstoday.in (neutral report), businesstoday.in (2) (neutral report), indianexpress.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
