The Indian ‘hero’ pilot, Captain who foiled an attempt to crash a Flydubai flight while fighting off his Omani co-pilot, has suffered a skull fracture, severe injuries to his head, hand, and is experiencing difficulty recalling events, according to a report by CNN-News18.
On September 30, last Wednesday, an Omani co-pilot tried to sabotage the which was carrying 170 passengers, nearly all of them Israeli. He later attacked Machchhar, who tried to avert the incident.
Machchhar was attacked with a crash axe by Al-Hammami but still managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to rush to the spot and subdue the attacker.
CNN-News18, citing sources, reported that the co-pilot may have intended to seriously injure or even kill the captain while he was operating the aircraft.
The publication further reported that the injury severely affected Machchhar’s optic nerves, leaving his vision blurred. He is also experiencing difficulty recalling events, describing his memory of the incident as being “in bits and pieces”.
“I tried to stop him. But because of the initial blows, my vision was almost nothing. I was completely blurred out,” Machchhar had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a recent conversation.
“My memory is still in bits and pieces right now. But this is what I remember of that time,” he told Netanyahu.
According to the CNN-News18 report, Machchhar continues to experience severe headaches and is being administered strong doses of sedatives and painkillers. Doctors are also conducting neurological assessments while keeping him under close observation.
“He has started walking, taking a few steps, and has started eating a bit. So, it looks like he is on course to recovery,” a functionary aware of his condition told CNN-News18.
The Indian pilot was flown to a hospital in Abu Dhabi after receiving treatment for his skull fracture in Saudi Arabia.
India’s ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, had said that Machchhar is recovering and is “smiling, laughing and chatting” in the hospital.
“I just met him along with his family here, in the hospital, in UAE, and he’s doing well. I was very relieved to see, and very reassured, that he’s doing well, he’s quite stable. He was talking, he was chatting, a bit of discomfort, but I think he’s under good medical care here in UAE,” Mittal had told Prasar Bharati.
The Flydubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed his captain in an attempt to take control of the aircraft had told UAE investigators that he had planned the attack before joining the Dubai government-owned airline, according to Reuters, citing two Israeli officials familiar with the investigation.
A third source briefed on the UAE probe said the Omani national had allegedly intended to crash last Wednesday’s flight into Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. The co-pilot had also flown a Tel Aviv-bound flight earlier this year and allegedly considered hijacking and crashing that aircraft but ultimately abandoned the plan, the source said.
The reason for his decision to drop the earlier plan was not immediately known. However, the source said the co-pilot was believed to have known someone who was travelling on that flight.
The sources spoke anonymously because they were discussing an ongoing investigation. UAE and Israeli authorities had not immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment, while Flydubai also did not immediately comment.
