Make New York Post a Preferred Source A fellow aviator and friend of the flydubai pilot who was stabbed by his “terrorist” co-pilot this week said watching footage from the mid-air attempted hijack “just was shattering” — but he’s relieved hero pal is on the road to recovery.
Cpt. Dhaval Patel said he’s known veteran hero pilot Smit Machchhar for “close to two decades” as the pair trained as airmen together in New Zealand, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“I vividly remember him helping colleagues and peers, educating them on the concepts of aviation with so much clarity and knowledge,” Patel told the outlet of Machahhar, whose nickname was “Smit Mac” during pilot training.
“I had the privilege of getting my fourth stripe on becoming a captain by his hand,” Patel said.
The longtime pal said that as footage emerged online of the frightening alleged attack aboard flydubai flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv Wednesday, he “was just not ready to believe it was Captain Smit” who’d been stabbed.
“When it happens to the person you know, the person you love, it breaks you,” he told ABC. “It just was shattering to be listening and looking at the visuals.”
Machahhar, an Indian national, was credited with averting a possible tragedy after he reportedly fought off his treacherous first officer and managed to open the cockpit door to get help — despite his injuries.
Heroic passengers leapt into action to subdue the first officer and gained control of the nosediving aircraft, as two off-duty pilots on board managed to land the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar was taken to Abu Dhabi for medical treatment and was “recovering steadily, out of any danger and in good health,” Patel told the Australian publication.
“That was the first sight of relief, seeing he’s actually recovering and responding well to all the medical treatments,” he said.
Machchhar’s attacker was identified Friday as Hamam al-Hammami of Oman – who was previously banned from flying by his country’s national airline over fears he became radicalized, sources told The Post.
The Omani aviator was arrested for trying to crash the packed passenger plane in “a jihadist terrorist attack,” Israeli leaders said.
The recovering pilot, meanwhile, spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video call from his hospital bed and recalled “fighting for my life” on the plane.
“I have been flying for 17 years. I have been captain for 11 years. I know what is happening in flight even with my eyes closed,” Machchhar told Modi.
“When I was on the floor, I could sense that the aircraft was going down, and then I told myself, ‘Smit, give a last push. Door is there.’ I was getting stabbed at that point as well, but I opened the door, and others came inside,” he recalled.
Modi praised the captain for doing “such a tremendous job that not just us Indians but people worldwide want to speak and meet you.”
Patel said he was thrilled to see his longtime aviation friend be honored by Modi as well as “leaders around the world.”
“It’s pride for our entire clan to see one of our colleagues being respected by our honorary prime minister,” he said.
