He is being hailed around the world as a hero for helping stop a passenger plane bound for Israel from plunging into the ground, despite his own severe injuries.
asserted
He → hail → injuries
Images of Capt. Smit Machchhar covered in blood have gone viral after he fought his fellow pilot, who, according to Israeli officials, stabbed him and attempted to nose-dive the plane carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
uncertain
who → cover → Aviv
While bleeding profusely, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing other passengers and the Emirati crew to overpower the other pilot and take control of the aircraft.
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passengers → bleed → aircraft
The flight was diverted to an airport in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
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it → divert → Arabia
The Mumbai native’s actions have “shown the world the highest form of courage” and “prevented another 9/11 like attack from happening,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday, after speaking with Machchhar’s family.
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Modi → show → family
“The whole world is proud of him,” he added.
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he → add → him
Machchhar spoke previously of getting the “aviation bug” at 19 while pursuing a management course to grow his family’s textile business.
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Machchhar → speak → business
He worked for years at a low-cost Indian airline before joining Flydubai, and had nearly 10,000 hours of flying experience before Wednesday’s incident.
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He → work → incident
Machchhar is being treated in a hospital in Tabuk city in northwest Saudi Arabia, with his condition described as “stable” on Wednesday by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.
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condition → treat → Riyadh
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News he was “very badly wounded.”
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he → tell → News
Deepak Mittal, India’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, said on X he met with Machhar’s family on Thursday in Dubai and “conveyed full support of the Government of India in ensuring welfare and wellbeing of the Indian Hero.”
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he → say → Hero
Netanyahu called Machchhar “a true hero.”
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Netanyahu → call → Machchhar
“Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster,” he said.
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he → stab → disaster
Machchhar’s former employer, the Indian budget carrier SpiceJet, said on X that he flew for the airline for 10 years.
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he → say → years
According to his LinkedIn profile, Machchhar joined the Emirati low-cost carrier Flydubai in 2022 after flying for SpiceJet since 2011.
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Machchhar → accord → 2011
On Wednesday, the veteran captain was flying a Boeing 737 Max 8, the newer variant of the 737 plane that Machchhar had nearly 10,000 hours of experience flying, according to his profile and a YouTube podcast interview he gave last year.
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he → fly → profile
“My first aircraft was a Boeing, and it’s always been that aircraft all my life,” he said.
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he → say → ?
Machchhar said he had flown challenging routes, dodged bad weather, and handled medical emergencies in the air before.
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he → say → air
His mother was “scared” when he first told her of his plan to become a pilot, he said in the 2025 interview, but his supportive father agreed to cover the steep fees for aviation training.
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father → scar → training
Between 2008 and 2009, Machchhar trained for 18 months at an aviation college in New Zealand.
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Machchhar → train → Zealand
It was the first time he had been outside India, he said, and he had only been on a “couple of flights” as a passenger before learning to fly.
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he → say → passenger
He “stood out” among those training and did well with his studies, Mainland Air chief executive Philip Kean told New Zealand’s 1News, adding: “We’re all very proud of him here.”
In his early days as a qualified pilot, he took whatever flight routes he was assigned.
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he → stand → routes
“When I started flying ... the only thing I wanted to do then was fly,” Machchhar told the podcast.
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Machchhar → start → podcast
“I didn’t want to sleep, I didn’t want to go anywhere, and they loved me for it.”
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they → want → it
“For a pilot to gain that experience and to refine your skills is what a pilot is,” he added.
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he → gain → skills
But his attitude changed when he got married and started a family, he said.
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he → change → family
“Now I would say I try when I get out of the cockpit or the aircraft, I don’t want the other guy to know that I’m a pilot.
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I → say → cockpit
I don’t want to discuss aviation,” he said.
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he → want → aviation
“Now the kids are there,” he said.
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he → say → ?
“They want to play with you.”
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They → want → you
In the interview, Machchhar also spoke about the “rigorous training” that pilots and cabin crew undergo, which includes safety and emergency procedures.
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which → speak → procedures
“When we are up there and if something happens, who is going to save you?
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who → happen → you
You’ll be lucky enough to have a doctor on board,” he said.
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he → have → board
“They can save your life,” he said, referring to the cabin crew.
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he → save → crew
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