Injured Flydubai Captain Says He Opened Cockpit Door

Captain Smit Machchhar told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2 that he opened the cockpit door while seriously injured aboard a Flydubai flight, allowing passengers and crew to intervene during a midair emergency. The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and landed safely. The copilot’s intent and the precise sequence of events remain unclear. Speaking to Modi by video call from a hospital in Abu Dhabi, Machchhar said he had fallen to the cockpit floor with severe injuries and sensed that the aircraft was descending. Drawing on his flying experience, he realized he needed to reach the door, he told the prime minister. Machchhar said he made a final effort to open it while being assaulted, after which other people came into the cockpit. He said he was acting to save himself but also knew he could not let the other passengers die. Accounts of the incident say passengers and crew entered the cockpit and restrained the copilot. Other pilots aboard then helped regain control of the aircraft before its emergency landing in Tabuk.