Indian pilot Smit Machchhar is being hailed as a hero after he fought off his co-pilot and was seriously injured during a mid-air cockpit attack aboard a flydubai flight on Wednesday.
Machchhar’s presence of mind in opening the cockpit door averted a potential catastrophe on the Israel-bound flight. The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children. The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk. Machchhar, who received medical treatment at a hospital in Tabuk, was airlifted to the UAE for further treatment.
Smit Machchhar and flydubai dominate Google Search
Unsurprisingly, flydubai and Smit Machchhar were among the most-searched topics in India, as well as in the US and the UAE. In India, the keyword “flydubai” had over 50,000 searches on Google and “Smit Machchhar” saw over 1 lakh searches, according to Google Trends data.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and other leaders lauded him, and thousands of people online echoed their sentiments. Machchhar’s name trended on X through Thursday. “Not all heroes wear capes,” an X user said.
‘My mom was scared’
In the wake of the incident, an interview of Machchhar from last year has resurfaced online. In a podcast, the Mumbai-born aviator opened up about his journey to becoming a pilot and the unseen challenges and responsibilities inside the cockpit. He revealed that his mother was scared when he decided to take up a career in aviation. He said his father was more supportive of his career choice.
On the same podcast, Machchhar spoke about the crucial role of the cabin crew.
“When we are up there, and something happens, who is going to save you? You’ll be lucky enough to have a doctor on board. If not, the crew is trained… they can save your life,” he had said.
The others were Shota Musaev, a dentist; Zvika Manes, a bank CEO; Assaf Rajuan, an insurance agency owner; and Tali Manes.
The five would be presented with “heroism” awards, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said. Tali Manes, his office said, heard the commotion in the cockpit and was the first to alert passengers and call for help.
That’s all from us this week. See you next time with more of what the internet is talking about. Happy scrolling!
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