Flydubai Pilot Reveals New Details About What Happened Inside the Cockpit in a Call with Netanyahu

Captain Smit Matchar, the pilot of the "Fly Dubai" flight who is considered a "hero" after he confronted a violent attack by his co-pilot, revealed new details about what happened inside the cockpit during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Matchar said: "It was a normal flight and the co-pilot requested to pray, which is a common practice locally. While he was praying, I was looking forward out of respect and not backward, and then suddenly after 4 or 5 minutes, there was a strong blow to the back of my head. The first thought that crossed my mind was that a catastrophic event had occurred to the plane and something had happened, but then the blows continued one after another, at which point I realized that this was not about the plane but the other person with me in the cockpit."

He continued: "I tried to stop him, but due to his initial blows, my vision was almost nonexistent and I was completely disoriented. The second thing that came to me was that the plane was descending sharply. My memory is now fragmented, but this is what I remember from that time. I tried to open the door once, but I think he closed it again. At that moment, I believe I was lying on the floor of the cockpit, and I heard the sound of the plane and the screams of the passengers, and as I told the ambassador here..." He added: "I had within me the ability to fight one last time, personally or for the passengers. I knew that if I didn't do that, I would die. At that point, I pushed forward with all my strength, went to the door, opened it, and the passengers came in and took control, and the rest you know, sir..." Netanyahu said: "Honestly, I am amazed by your courage and the calmness of your choices under impossible circumstances," directing a question to the pilot: "How did you do that? Did you pull the pin that allows the cockpit door to open?" The captain replied: "No, sir, the door from the inside has a tool that turns to open it, and from the outside, it can only be opened with a code. My colleagues outside were trying to enter the code, but the person did not allow them to enter it, and the only way to open the door is to reach the handle and turn it to open by itself. Therefore, there is no pin to open it, but a mechanism that turns like a regular handle."