Schmidt Matschar, the Indian pilot who was stabbed by his co-pilot on a Flydubai flight bound for Israel, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today that he acted to protect the passengers by making “a last-ditch effort” to open the cockpit door.
“I was trying to save my own life, but I knew I couldn’t let all those people die,” he told the Indian prime minister by phone from his hospital bed, according to a video posted on social media by Modi’s press office.
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The Flydubai plane was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers on board, 166 of whom were Israelis, according to media reports, when the violent altercation broke out in the cockpit the day before yesterday, Wednesday.
Matshar, a pilot for 17 years and a flight captain for 11 years, recounted how he realized the plane was falling while he lay injured on the floor and how he reacted by making a last-ditch effort.
“I had (…) sustained multiple injuries and had collapsed. Then I felt the plane falling. I knew that this was my last chance and that the door was right there,” he recounted.
“I was still being hit at that moment, but I just opened the door and everyone came in.”
Matshar explained that his many years of experience allowed him to realize what was happening despite his injury.
The exact circumstances of this violent altercation between the two pilots are under investigation.
The co-pilot reportedly attacked Matschar, injuring him and initiating a struggle to take control of the plane.
Passengers intervened to prevent the Flydubai Boeing from crashing; the plane ultimately made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Monti stated that the captain’s “immense courage” saved hundreds of lives and prevented “a major tragedy.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also praised his “unparalleled courage,” adding that he thus “prevented a disaster in flight” on Wednesday.
Passengers recounted that as soon as the door opened, they entered the cockpit and a struggle ensued as they tried to take control, after the plane had suddenly lost altitude, plummeting about 17,000 feet in the span of one minute, according to the Flightradar24 website.
READ ALSO: Trump Warns: We Will Strike Iran Very Hard If It Is Proven to Be Behind the Flydubai Flight | AlphaNews
Source: APE-MPE
