# ‘I was fighting for my life’: Indian pilot hailed as hero recalls flydubai cockpit attack

https://mins.news/en/item/83119

- The Guardian, 2026-10-02 08:39 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/02/indian-pilot-smit-machchhar-recalls-flydubai-cockpit-attack

> Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar told India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, that he forced himself back to his feet after being stabbed by his co-pilot because passengers could otherwise have died. He opened the cockpit door, enabling passengers to restrain the attacker as the 182-person flight descended sharply before diverting to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

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