- Captain Smit Machchhar was honoured with a sand art tribute by Sudarsan Pattnaik in Odisha
- Machchhar showed bravery during an in-flight attack on flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Israel
- A pilot attempted to sabotage the plane and stabbed Captain Machchhar during the incident
Captain Smit Machchhar's bravery during an incident on a flight has received a tribute from sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik. Pattnaik created a sand art at Puri Beach in Odisha to honour Captain Machchhar and wish him a speedy recovery.
In a post, Pattnaik saluted Captain Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery and determination to protect others. He also prayed for his speedy recovery, strength and good health. His sand art carries the message, "Salute to Captain Smit Machchhar - Get Well Soon!"
Check Out The Post Here:
He wrote, "We salute Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery, sacrifice and unwavering resolve to protect others. Praying for his speedy recovery, strength and good health."
Speaking to ANI, Pattnaik said, "We have created this sand sculpture to salute the Captain. Through our sand art, we are paying tribute to him and praying to God for his speedy recovery. The entire world is saluting him today for the way he risked his own life to save the lives of others. There isn't a corner of the globe where he isn't being saluted or praised. As Indians, we certainly feel proud; not just us, but Indians everywhere feel immense pride today because he put his own life on the line to save others. As artists, we salute him through our art and pray to God for his quick recovery."
What Happened On Flight
Flight FZ 1073 was travelling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday morning when an altercation broke out on the flight deck, according to flydubai.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a pilot allegedly tried to sabotage the plane's system while the aircraft was in the air. Captain Machchhar tried to stop him but was stabbed.
Netanyahu said one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and attempted to crash the plane. A crew member and a passenger then entered the cockpit and subdued the suspect.
During the struggle in the cockpit, the aircraft dropped more than 17,400 feet in two minutes. Netanyahu said a crew member entered the cockpit and stabilised the aircraft.
The aircraft was then diverted and safely landed at an airport in Saudi Arabia. All passengers were reported safe, while the suspect was arrested and questioned by Saudi authorities.
Captain Machchhar is an Indian citizen working with flydubai. The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
He has worked with flydubai for four years. Before joining the airline, he worked with SpiceJet for 10 years. He has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience on the Boeing 737 fleet and has completed more than 9,750 flying hours.
Captain Machchhar's actions during the flight have been described as an act of bravery, as he tried to protect those on board.
