Not Just Another Flight
It began as just another day of flying in clear and calm skies
Until it was not...
Captain Smit Machchhar was in command of flydubai FZ1073
The Indian pilot was flying a Boeing 737 MAX
The co-pilot to his right was an Omani national
Threat
The co-pilot attacked Captain Machchhar with a crash axe to take over the controls
Despite suffering critical injuries, the Indian pilot managed to open the cockpit door for passengers to intervene and land the plane
Flightpath
Departure
Dubai International Airport
Destination
Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel’s Tel Aviv
Diverted To
Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, a city in Saudi Arabia
Terrifying Dive
Altitude At Cruise 34,000 feet
Altitude After Dive 17,000 feet
Dive Period Less than 1 minute
Speed Near-supersonic, Mach 0.96
Boeing 737 MAX Makes
A Comeback
The Boeing 737 MAX was at one point beset with the ugly reputation of two crashes. It was grounded for nearly 20 months globally
Unlike other uncontrolled sudden altitude loss which led to the aircraft breaking apart, the flydubai aircraft held on very well and landed without its rudders
In Numbers
Captain Machchhar spent 11 years with SpiceJet, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain
He logged more than 9,750 flying hours with SpiceJet
Who Said What
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
"The country can proudly say that Indians are not those who take lives, but those who are willing to risk their lives to save others"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
"The attacker, the co-pilot who attacked the captain, is now being interrogated. What we know so far is that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination"
Captain Smit Machchhar
“I was lying on the floor (of the cockpit) injured. With whatever energy was left in me, I managed to act properly and save the plane”
Israeli Minister for Economy and Industry Nir Barkat
“They say that probably the safest way to fly is to sit next to Israelis on international flights, because basically the way we think is being very, very proactive”
Philip Kean, CEO of Mainland Air
“I don’t think there’s much in the handbook for being stabbed. You’re friends and you’re flying together. Nobody would expect a person to have a go at you like that”
Watch: Nightmare At 34,000 Feet
Editor: Debanish Achom
Built with Shorthand