New Delhi, Oct 3: Recalling the terrifying moments after being attacked by his co-pilot mid-air, flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he was “fighting for my life” but remained determined to save the lives of those on board. Machchhar, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital in the UAE, spoke to Modi over the phone and recounted how he managed to regain control of the aircraft following the attack.

Machchhar, who was stabbed and injured by his co-pilot in the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 while travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, gave a detailed account to the Prime Minister during the video call. Modi lauded the pilot’s bravery, presence of mind and composure, and said Machchhar took a split-second decision that saved the lives of so many people.

“I was lying on the floor (of the cockpit) injured. With whatever energy that was left with me, I managed to act properly and saved the plane,” the pilot said.

“I was fighting for my life, but I was determined not to let others die. It was such a crucial moment.

There was a moment when I realised that if I don’t do something – because I was lying on the ground (in cockpit), I could feel that the aircraft was going down,” he said. Machchhar said he was repeatedly beaten and sustained multiple injuries, but he told himself that he had to get up and act.

“At that time, I thought if I don’t get up... I have been flying planes for 17 years, I have been a Captain for the last 11 years, and I know what is happening in an aircraft even with my eyes closed.

When I was lying down below, I knew for a fact that if I could make one last push – the door was right there. Even while I was still taking blows, I could just open the door,” he said.

The pilot said that after the cockpit door was opened, everyone else came in, and everyone played an equally important role. “But honestly, I was acting out of survival, yet at the same time, I knew I couldn’t let all of them die,” he said.

Machchhar shared that whenever he faces difficulty, he recites the Hanuman Chalisa, the hymn devoted to Lord Hanuman. “Whenever I feel pain, only one thing comes to my mind – I just recite the Hanuman Chalisa.

Even at that moment, I was only reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, and I know that God saved me,” he said.