Internet has been abuzz with praises for the heroic pilot Captain Smit Machchhar, who averted a catastrophic mid-air disaster aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 on Wednesday, September 30. The flight, which took off from Dubai with its final destination being Tel Aviv, saw a deadly incident unfold as his co-pilot turned on him, allegedly trying to crash the flydubai flight and brutally stabbing the captain.
Despite being in immense pain and bleeding profusely, Captain Smit Machchhar managed to reach the security switch and unlock the cockpit door. He collapsed in the entryway, and passengers initially found it difficult to push through the door. Once inside, however, he received help from fellow passengers who intervened to take care of the injured captain. Among them was Yaniv Hayun, an Israeli plumber.
Yaniv Hayun, with his quick understanding of the situation, helped stabilise the aircraft. He credited this knowledge to years of watching the popular Canadian aviation docudrama Mayday.
How The Canadian Documentary Series Mayday Became A Guide To Save flydubai Flight FZ1073
Yaniv Hayun, the Israeli passenger, reportedly entered the cockpit after the injured pilot somehow managed to unbolt it from the inside.
After the captain was attacked, flydubai flight FZ1073 reportedly began rapidly plunging thousands of feet per minute.
Having watched Mayday, Yaniv Hayun was able to recognise the aircraft’s primary flight controls. He pulled back on the control column (yoke) to level the aircraft. Once he had gained control and brought the aircraft out of its downward descent, he kept the nose up until emergency procedures could be put into action.
“I pulled on the yoke to level the plane and stop the dive. Fortunately, I had some basic knowledge of aviation from the Mayday Air Crash series,” he told Netanyahu.
About Mayday
The long-running documentary series, created by Toronto-based Cineflix Productions, first aired in 2003.
The plot of Mayday revolves around investigations into real-life aviation disasters, near-crashes, hijackings and bombings. The show’s format cleverly incorporates cockpit voice recordings, accident reports, interviews and computer-generated imagery (CGI) recreations to break down what went wrong in aviation incidents and how they were investigated.
Hundreds of such incidents have been broadcast across 24 seasons. The series has been on television for more than two decades and is known by different titles in different countries. While it is most popularly known as Mayday in Canada, it airs as Air Crash Investigation across the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia on National Geographic. In the US, it is known as Air Disasters and Air Emergency.
About The Injured Captain
The pilot is recovering in a hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where his flight was diverted on Wednesday after the co-pilot reportedly stabbed him mid-air in an attempt to crash the plane carrying 174 people, according to Israeli officials.
The Mumbai native was covered in blood and lying on the cockpit floor when he managed to activate the release to open the cockpit door, according to Israeli officials. This allowed passengers and crew members to overpower the co-pilot, while two flydubai pilots travelling as passengers helped land the aircraft.
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