Hero FlyDubai pilot speaks for first time on in-flight attack

Smit Machchhar, the captain of Flydubai Flight 1073, has spoken publicly for the first time about the September 30 incident where his co-pilot attacked him with an axe in a suicide attempt. Machchhar, severely wounded and lying on the cockpit floor, managed to open the door so another pilot aboard could enter and help regain control of the plane, which safely landed in Saudi Arabia. The attack occurred during the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, and Emirati authorities have accused co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami of trying to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv as a "suicide attack." Machchhar described blocking axe blows, struggling to open the cockpit door, and losing vision temporarily. Passengers and crew members rushed forward to subdue the attacker, with two other Flydubai pilots traveling as passengers assisting in landing the plane safely.