Washington: US President Donald Trump has called Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot of a Flydubai aircraft, a “hero”, recounting how the badly wounded captain managed to open the cockpit door after being stabbed by the co-pilot during a dramatic mid-air incident on a flight bound for Israel.
Trump said he spoke “at length” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the incident. He repeatedly cautioned, however, that the extraordinary account he had received had not been independently established.
“I think it’s an incredible story,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about the Flydubai plane. “But I did speak to Bibi Netanyahu at length about this event.”
Trump said the account he received suggested that “the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot”.
“The pilot was in very bad shape, and I guess he still is in very bad shape, but he had the sense to — amazing, to — in a way, he was a hero to open the door,” Trump said.
The President then gave a vivid account of what he said happened inside the aircraft.
“You know, those doors are solid steel. You can’t get them open from outside. He was able to fall back and get the door open and scream,” Trump said.
According to Trump, an Israeli plumber sitting towards the front of the aircraft heard the commotion and entered the cockpit.
Trump said the aircraft was descending at a sharp angle when the passenger intervened.
“The plane was going sharply down at an unbelievable angle, so sharp that the rudder ripped off the back of the plane. Plane wasn’t designed to go at a speed anywhere near that,” he said.
Trump said the plumber pulled the alleged attacker from the seat before other passengers restrained him.
“And having never flown apart — a plane, he took the stick, lifted it up and levelled out the plane before it crashed,” Trump said.
But Trump immediately qualified his account.
“Now, this is the story that I heard. I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s the story that I got from Bibi…” he said.
Trump said the passenger later explained that he had watched the television programme “Air Disasters” and had picked up some knowledge about aircraft from the show.
“He learned from watching that show sort of how to fly. I mean, you tell me, this is the craziest thing,” Trump said.
He said other pilots and security personnel aboard the aircraft subsequently reached the cockpit and took control.
“They came up, they took over the plane. I think it’s the most amazing story,” Trump said.
Asked whether the co-pilot intended to crash the aircraft, Trump again stressed that the motive had not been established.
“They said he wanted to crash. They don’t know that. They don’t know that kind of information,” he said.
The Flydubai flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when a violent incident occurred in the cockpit, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The wounded captain has been identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar.
Public reports said passengers and crew intervened before additional flight crew took control of the aircraft and landed it safely.
The motive remained under investigation on Wednesday. Flydubai said the aircraft had experienced an incident and that the passengers were safe, while reports said Saudi authorities were questioning the alleged attacker. The passengers later continued their journey to Israel on another aircraft.
