New Delhi [India], October 1 (ANI): Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Thursday praised Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar for his courage and role in helping avert a major tragedy after an altercation in the aircraft's cockpit left him seriously injured.
“We are very proud of the bravery and courage of Captain Smit. It is a very unfortunate incident in terms of what was planned, but Smit has done a great job in trying to avert it. We feel proud because he is an Indian, but the act that he has put forward, everyone across the world is proud of him,” Rammohan Naidu said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also congratulated Captain Smit, saying he saved the lives of 180 people without fearing for his own life.
“I congratulate him. Without fearing for his life, he saved the lives of 180 people. We need such brave people in our country. I congratulate his parents and family members,” Kharge said.
The remarks came after Flydubai Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia following an altercation in the cockpit in which Captain Machchhar was seriously injured. The aircraft landed safely in Tabuk.
Federation of Indian Pilots president Captain CS Randhawa described the incident as a "total failure" of Cockpit Resource Management (CRM) and said the circumstances leading to the physical altercation between the two pilots needed to be investigated.
"This is a case of total failure of the CRM -- Cockpit Resource Management. So, how did this situation of a physical altercation even arise? The matter needs investigation," Randhawa told ANI.
Praising Machchhar, Randhawa said, "He did a very brave thing and did a very good job."
"If it is true that the pilot tried to commit suicide and tried to bring the plane down, and Captain Smit overpowered him, then it is a very brave act and in our opinion a matter of great pride for Indian pilots," he said.
Randhawa said the circumstances would become clear after the investigation, including who ultimately landed the aircraft after both pilots were injured. According to him, the aircraft lost about 17,000 feet in roughly one-and-a-half minutes during the incident.
He said the cockpit voice recorder and digital flight data recorder would be crucial in establishing what happened. On the possibility of a terror attack, Randhawa described it as "a widespread rumour" and said the Saudi authorities conducting the investigation should be trusted.
"The Saudi Government, that is, the Civil Aviation Authority, is investigating it. Only they know what happened at this time," he said.
Machchhar's former employer, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh, also praised his actions, saying a pilot's responsibility was to protect the lives entrusted to him.
"I was incredibly proud to know of this, but this is the job of a pilot. His job is to protect the lives that have been entrusted to him. And in this case, 180 lives were entrusted to Captain Smit Machchhar, and he did a tremendous job saving and preserving those lives," Singh told ANI.
Flydubai said an "altercation occurred in the flight deck" and that the aircraft was "successfully secured by on-duty FlyDubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely".
The aircraft landed in Tabuk, where Machchhar was hospitalised. The passengers were subsequently flown to Tel Aviv on another aircraft.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier hailed Machchhar as a "HERO", saying that despite being seriously injured, he showed "immense courage" and an "unwavering resolve" to protect the lives of others.
The Indian pilot has received widespread praise following the incident, with political leaders and aviation officials highlighting his actions during the emergency.
The investigation into the circumstances of the cockpit altercation is underway.
Captain Machchhar, who has more than 13 years of commercial aviation experience and around 9,750 flying hours, had spent about 11 years with SpiceJet before joining Flydubai. He is currently recovering at a hospital in Tabuk. (ANI)
"Everyone across world is proud of him": Rammohan Naidu hails Capt Smit Machchhar's bravery after Flydubai cockpit incident
