You're not going to die today: Israeli flyer to Indian pilot amid flydubai attack

“You’re not going to die today.” This was what Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun told Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar after the latter was stabbed by his co-pilot inside the cockpit of the Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight.

“He was an absolute hero. I told him, ‘You’re not going to die today,’” Hayun, a plumber by profession, told India Today in an exclusive interview.

Hayun and his daughter Noa were among the 174 people aboard Flight FZ1073 when the attack took place on Wednesday.

Speaking in Hebrew, Hayun recounted the incident, while his daughter Noa translated his account into English during the interview.

“I went to the cockpit door, and it was unlocked. A crew member and I pushed the door very hard and managed to get in,” Hayun said, through Noa’s translation.

Inside, he saw the injured Captain Machchhar lying on the floor.

“The pilot was lying on the cockpit floor, very injured,” he said, through his daughter’s translation.

Hayun said the Omani co-pilot was at the controls and appeared to be interfering with the aircraft’s systems. He grabbed him from behind and pulled him away.WE WERE ABOUT TO CRASH

Hayun said the situation inside the cockpit was chaotic, with the men struggling to restrain the co-pilot and attend to Captain Machchhar.

“He (co-pilot) tried to fight back. He wanted to stay in the cockpit, but we didn't let him. We pulled him out,” Hayun said.

As three other men stayed with the injured pilot and the attacker, Hayun said he moved towards the controls and steadied the plane.

Two off-duty pilots who were travelling in the economy section then stepped in to take control of the aircraft.”

The off-duty pilot took over the controls, while Hayun left the cockpit and stayed near the door to prevent anyone else from entering.

For Hayun, Captain Machchhar’s actions were critical. “We would really like to know how he is, if he's okay, if he's out of trouble,” he said.

Hayun believes Machchhar may have managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing after the attack.

“Captain Smit is a hero. I want to thank him for what he did. If he had not opened the cockpit door and let us in, we would have all died. I can't imagine how he fought off the co-pilot despite being injured. He saved us, we wish him a quick recovery and would like to speak to him personally and thank him.”- Ends