Pilot’s Heroic Act

New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman)  He is being called a hero, and for good reason. Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot of this week’s flydubai flight to Israel, saved 175 people while bleeding from multiple stab wounds.

On Friday, Captain Machchhar spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by video and described how he managed to unlock the cockpit door while under attack.

Captain Machchhar told the Prime Minister that his Omani first officer had turned on him in the cockpit. Badly wounded and on the floor, the captain said he summoned what strength remained to reach the door and open it from the inside, which allowed help to reach the flight deck.

Captain Machchhar said that even as he struggled to survive, he was thinking of the passengers behind him. “I knew I was not going to let others die,” he said.

A Veteran Aviator

Indian media outlets report that Captain Machchhar is a Gujarati from Mumbai. His professional profile shows more than ten years at the Indian carrier SpiceJet, where he worked as a training captain and mentored newer pilots before joining flydubai. He has logged roughly 9,750 hours on the Boeing 737-800 and the 737 MAX 8 and 9.

How the Attack Unfolded

The flight had departed Dubai for Tel Aviv. In the air, the first officer attacked the captain with a blade, stabbing him several times, and then tried to bring the aircraft down. Up to four passengers forced their way in, overpowered the attacker, wounded him, and tied him up.

Other crew members on board took over the controls and diverted the plane to Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Captain Machchhar was reported to be in critical condition after the attack.

New information has also emerged about the terrorist Omani first officer who tried to bring the plane down. A source in the United Arab Emirates told the Israeli news channel i24NEWS that the co-pilot had a record of hostility toward Israel.

According to the source, investigators found pamphlets and other printed material from “Free Palestine” groups, along with additional pro-Palestinian literature, among the co-pilot’s personal belongings. The source also said that the co-pilot had voiced support for the Palestinian cause more than once and had openly expressed hostility toward the Jewish State.

The findings suggest that the attack on a plane carrying some 170 Israelis was not a sudden breakdown but was driven by animosity toward Israel. Officials have not yet released a formal statement on the co-pilot’s motive.

Passengers Return Home

Later that day, 174 Israeli passengers from the flight were brought back to Ben-Gurion Airport on a separate aircraft. Their safe return followed hours of uncertainty for families in Israel, who had learned of an emergency signal and a diversion to Saudi territory.

Yesh Koneh Olamo B’Sha’ah Achas

The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 10b, 17a, 18a) records that Rebbi wept and declared, “Yesh koneh olamo b’sha’ah achas,” that there are those who acquire their eternal world in a single hour. A lifetime of deeds can be matched by one moment of supreme courage.

Captain Machchhar’s moment came on the floor of a cockpit, wounded and fighting for his life, when he chose to make one more effort for the sake of others. Chazal also teach that one who saves a single life is regarded as having saved an entire world (Sanhedrin 37a). On this flight, a wounded pilot and a handful of passengers who did not hesitate saved 175 worlds at once.

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