Video captures chilling moment stabbed Indian pilot seeks help from passengers

A new video has shed fresh light on the terrifying moments aboard the flydubai flight, in which Captain Smit Machchhar, severely wounded after being stabbed by the co-pilot, is seen seeking desperate help from passengers. "Help me, help me," Machchhar can be heard shouting from inside the cockpit as passengers rushed in.

The video, posted by Israeli news portal i24, captured the chaotic moments aboard the Tel Aviv-bound flight (FZ 1073) as passengers thwarted an apparent attempt by the co-pilot, an Omani national, to crash the aircraft. The video, filmed from a seat near the cockpit, was likely shot after Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door, a decisive move that prevented a disaster.

It allowed passengers to rush into the cockpit and overpower the co-pilot, who Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed underwent "radical Islamist indoctrination" and was "clearly suicidal".

In the video, one person can be heard saying "he tried to crash the plane", in reference to the Omani co-pilot who stabbed the captain. It is yet to be confirmed whether the co-pilot carried a knife or used the fire axe that is factory-fitted in the cockpit for the attack.

Others are seen shouting "take him out", as another passenger is heard ordering people in the cabin to "sit down".

The footage also shows a passenger wearing a blood-stained white T-shirt near the cockpit. The passenger is likely Yaniv Hayun, an Israeli plumber, who subdued the co-pilot and also steered the aircraft's levers to prevent it from nosediving.

The video then shows the people near the cockpit calling for a doctor. Dr Shota Musaev, an Israeli dentist, is then seen rushing to the front of the plane.

Later, in an exclusive interview with India Today, Dr Musaev described the chilling moment.

"He (Machchhar) was lying on the floor, was conscious, but lost a lot of blood. He had deep cuts in his arms and neck," he said.

The next second, a man is seen asking in Hebrew whether there was an additional pilot on the flight. A voice can be heard responding affirmatively from the back of the cabin.

Another video that has viral showed a bloodied Captain Machchhar lying on the ground outside the cockpit. It was probably shot after the earlier video.

He (co-pilot) "hit me so many times", Machchhar is seen explaining to the passengers. He then says that he can move his injured hand but no longer squeeze it shut. The wounded attacker, whose uniform is also covered in blood, is also seen nearby.- Ends