Flydubai captain recalls ‘traumatic’ struggle to reopen cockpit during terror attack

Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar has recalled his “traumatic” struggle to reopen the cockpit door after an Omani co-pilot attacked him with an axe during an attempted hijacking on Sept. 30, an incident that nearly ended in disaster for the plane’s 170 passengers, most of them Israeli.

In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Machchhar described fighting to regain control of the aircraft despite suffering multiple wounds. The co-pilot, Hammam al-Hamami, allegedly told Emirati investigators that he intended to crash the plane into Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. Al-Hamami’s radicalization has been linked to an Australian imam who called Zionists “bloodsuckers”.

“My vision was restricted to a few inches,” Machchhar recalled, describing the aftermath of the attack from behind. Severely injured and struggling to remain conscious, he tried to open the cockpit door so an off-duty pilot could take control of the aircraft.

“So I was screaming his name and I was trying, because the switch that was very close to me to open the door, I was trying to just get help in,” he explained. “But I remember being able to open the door,” he continued, adding that the terrorist shut the door again.

“And at that point, I felt all the blood, you know, everything rushing down, my energy, everything; I was just, I was barely staying in consciousness,” Machchhar told the news outlet from the Emirati hospital where he is being treated.

“Soon after that, that was the time when I heard the engine sounds going down. And then immediately after that I felt the aircraft going into a dive,” the captain recalled.

As the plane began diving, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door again, allowing Israeli passengers to enter and confront the attacker. Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun, who had no pilot training, reportedly succeeded in stabilizing the aircraft before two off-duty pilots took over the controls and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. An Israeli dentist among the passengers also helped save Machchhar’s life.

The captain praised the actions of the Israeli passengers and the off-duty pilots, describing their intervention and the safe landing as “commendable.”

“It’s something that I’ll keep with me till I die,” he said.

Earlier this month, Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced that Israel would honor Machchhar for his role in saving the lives of those aboard the flight.

“Once Captain Machchhar regains strength, it will be my honor to award him, on behalf of the people of Israel, the State of Israel's Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism,” Herzog stated.

“Your ability to find the strength to rise above the pain, to combat the immediate threat to your life, and to operate sound judgment demonstrates the strength of your character and the great valor you possess,” the Israeli president continued.

"We all share heartfelt prayers for your full and speedy recovery, and I look forward, once you have regained strength, to welcoming you to Jerusalem and expressing the appreciation and the love of our grateful nation,” Herzog added.

Oman Air, al-Hamami’s former employer, said following the incident that it had terminated his employment over concerns that he had embraced radical Islam. It remains unclear why the airline did not share that information with flydubai.