New Delhi: Captain Smit Machchhar wouldn’t have imagined what happened on a flydubai flight when he said this on a podcast about a year ago.
In the interview, he also discussed the life of pilots and the world inside a cockpit. “It is not as glamorous. Our primary duty is to monitor. Most of the time we’re not looking at each other when we are talking. We try not to get into deep discussion because what happens is when you are getting into a deep discussion, you are not focusing,” he said.
Captain Machchhar, who is being hailed as a hero for saving 180 lives aboard a flydubai flight, had then spoken out in support of the captain and first officer of the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad in June 2025.
“Let the real investigation come out. And if they are at fault, blame them. But find out first what went wrong. Was it the aircraft? Was it the engineering? Was it the pilots? Till then do not blame my community, no sorry not happening”, he said in an interview with CS Zalak Mehta last year.
Machchhar, a Mumbai-based Indian pilot, had spent 11 years with SpiceJet before joining flydubai. On Wednesday, he was stabbed by his co-pilot during the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight in an alleged attempt to take control of the aircraft and crash it. Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the attacker and helping avert a potential disaster.
As news of his actions spread, tributes poured in from India and Israel, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailing his courage.
‘It’s not luck when it comes to Aviation’
Machchhar started flying commercially in 2011. Flying for him was a childhood dream. His first flight was from Bengaluru to Delhi.
In the podcast interview, he said he was first scared, not because of the “flying part but the responsibility”.
The thought of making it through the training period, and now flying an airline under probation was scary for him. However, half an hour into the flight, the scare turned into an enjoyable experience.
Machchhar very candidly spoke about his experience of flying for several years. He talked about flying a Boeing, and about the 737 Max crashes.
“There were times when I was unsure if I want my parents or my wife to travel on the Max”, he said. He even admitted hiding flying a Boeing aircraft from his parents.
“Any crash, you being a pilot, you are not a pilot, it is loss of life”, he said.
Machchhar had argued that even before the investigation comes out, people start making assumptions, which he found absurd.
Even in the 2025 Ahmedabad crash, Machchhar said, “Those guys, you think they would not have fought for their life?” he asked rhetorically.
In the hour-long podcasts, he emphasized that it is not fair to start blaming the pilots.
“‘Oh, the pilot should have done this’ — let the real investigation come out. And if they are at fault, blame them. But find out first what went wrong. Was it the aircraft? Was it engineering? Was it the pilots? Or was it like sheer bad luck? I mean, it’s not luck when it comes to aviation,” he said.
Air India is legendary
Although Machchhar has never flown an Air India flight, he has taken flights after the crash. He acknowledged the apprehension people may have had after the crash, but said, “That does not mean you stop flying Air India. My last flight was on Air India when I was flying back home.”
He argued Air India is a legendary airline.
“So, suddenly an airline which is legendary in our country becomes unsafe just after one crash”, he said. “People need to know that every time the aircraft cannot be as perfect and it can still fly safely. Safely is the word,” he added.
In the interview, he also discusses the life inside a cockpit. “No nonsense. Just do your job, finish the job. And when you walk out of the cockpit, that’s it. Stop thinking about that,” he said.
In the initial years of his flying, Machchhar did not sleep – “I did not want to go anywhere. Just fly”, he said. After he got married his life changed a bit, but when he wore the uniform, the sleep was again gone.
Machchhar would want his daughter to join aviation, but he added, “This is not the time to push them.”
“Do you really want to push someone who’s slow at catching up on things? Rather give them a little bit of time,” he said.
Machchhar is currently recovering in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
(Edited by Aakriti Handa)