It was the early morning of 30 September. Flydubai flight FZ1073 was taking off from Dubai towards Tel Aviv. There were passengers on board the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and Captain Smit Machar and co-pilot Hammam Al-Hamami were performing their duties in the cockpit. The plane reached high in the sky and as the weather became stable, the usual procedures started in the cockpit. From the outside, everything was normal, but Captain Smit noticed something different in his co-pilot's body language from the very beginning. It seemed as if he was in a strange mood. A thought came to Smiti's mind that this should not happen. This was the first flight of the day. If the pilot or co-pilot had come on a previous flight, he might have been tired, sleep-deprived or in a bad mood, but this was the first flight of the day. Then another thought also came to his mind that if he had woken up early in the morning and offered Fajr Namaz, then what kind of energy would there be in his body and mind? But it was nothing like that. This was just a thought, but a small insect of doubt had formed in Smit's mind.
The plane was moving towards Tel Aviv at regular speed. Around eight in the morning, the co-pilot got up from his seat and asked to offer Namaz. A bell immediately rang in Smit's troubled mind. He felt that the time for morning prayers had passed long ago. Now the time for afternoon namaz was approaching, so why talk about offering namaz now? But Smiti did not ask any questions. He kept looking ahead so as not to express any doubt. The co-pilot started praying. Smit also avoided looking back out of respect. But his inner caution had awakened.
A few minutes passed. Instead of looking back, Smit tried to look at the co-pilot only from the corner of his eye. He did not turn his face completely, because doing so would cause suspicion to the other person. Smit Macchhar also used to give training to other pilots. He also often taught his students how to act and react in times of crisis. So he slowly took his left hand to the transponder panel and just set the general emergency code to 7700 and did not transmit it. Now Smit did not know what was going to happen next, but whatever happens, how to resist it, all the thoughts were running in his mind. And then what he saw was something different from ordinary prayer. The co-pilot was shouting religious slogans and moving towards the emergency ax kept in the cockpit. Smit immediately realized that the situation was serious. He said to the co-pilot, “Hey man, what is he doing now? Sit on your seat.” He tried to stop him, but before he could do so, a strong blow from the ax fell on Smit's head. The atmosphere in the cockpit changed in an instant. Smit flopped on the pilot seat. Blood started flowing from the head. There was darkness and smoke before the eyes.
The purpose of this ax, which is kept for emergency in airplanes, is not to attack any human being. It is useful when you have to break a sheet of glass, remove an obstacle or make an exit in an emergency. The most horrifying anomaly of this incident was that an object meant to save life became a tool to take someone's life. The very thing that was meant to help in a disaster was now being used against a pilot in the cockpit.
But Captain Smit was not completely broken yet. There was a wound on his head, blood was flowing, his vision was blurred, yet his brain was working. The most important thing for a pilot in a crisis is communication between aircraft controls and ground support. Understanding the seriousness of the situation, Smit transmitted the emergency transponder code 7700. This short code can tell the outside world that a serious situation has arisen in the plane.
Now a scuffle had started between the attacker and the pilot. Normally, when a person receives such a fatal wound on the head, the body naturally becomes stiff in pain. Smit knew that if he only thought about his pain, the consequences could be dire. So he decided to put aside his pain and give a befitting reply. Like an experienced man, he gave strong resistance to the attacker. For a moment the attacker must have realized that the man whom he thought had been disabled by one wound was still fighting.
At the same time, among the passengers sitting behind the cockpit, there was a six-year-old little girl, Meena, along with her mother. He had to go to the front washroom. As Meena went ahead, she heard banging, rattling and hissing sounds coming from the cockpit. The wall between the cockpit and the passenger cabin was the same. Actually, even walls have ears. Meena told her mother that something strange was happening inside. Mother came forward with him. As he approached the cockpit door, he saw blood and heard scuffling sounds from inside. He immediately warned the people present in the cabin that the captain was under attack inside.
But the biggest question facing the passengers was how would they go inside? The doors of the cockpit were closed. Inside the cockpit on the BG side, both Smit and the attacker were injured, but Smit was more seriously injured. However, his nervous system was still giving him the power to think and move his body according to the thought.
Smit now understood that people sitting on the ground should be given a clear signal that this was an attempt to take control of the plane. Therefore it was necessary to set code 7500 instead of 7700. But the question was how to do all this while fighting with the attacker? ,(These questions have also arisen in the minds of many people). The transponder controls are within reach of the pilot in the cockpit. This means that even without giving up full control of the aircraft, there may be an opportunity to change the code by reaching in at any moment. Smith took this opportunity and tried to set 7500 instead of 7700. According to aviation experts, Captain Smith might have changed the squawk codes of the transporter. Looking at the cockpit control panel given here, we will realize that this work can be done very quickly.
Now the attacker probably realized that as long as Smitt's hands continued to work, he would not be able to take complete control of the plane. So his new symbol became Smit's hands and fingers. He started attacking Smit's hand and fingers. For a pilot, it was a direct attack on his control ability. If the fingers do not work, it may be difficult to use the control panel. But by then Smit had done his most important work. He had tried to change the code. As if an important front has been won in the war.
Now Smit's ultimate goal was to open the cockpit door. People from outside were shouting to open the doors. The attacker inside knew that if the doors were opened, people from outside would come inside. So the doors had now become the center of this entire fight. Attacker up and smile down. On one hand, there were attacks on the head, hands and body and on the other hand, Smit was trying to stand up with all the strength of his body. If a person had been worried about hurting his body at this moment, he might not have been able to stand up again. But now there was only one question for Smiti – to reach the door. Terrorist up and smile down. The terrorist used to attack Smit on his head, hands and chest, when Smit understood that now he should attack such a part of his body which would cause confusion for two to three hours. In the action of Bajrang Bali Ki Jai, Meete would have punched him at such a place below the waist that the terrorist would have left the ax and sat down holding his hand and during this, Smit would have quickly stood up from his place and dragged himself towards the door. There might have been a tug of war between the two, but in the end he would have succeeded in opening the doors.
Smiti pushed towards the door. The doors had opened once but the attacker had closed them again. Now there was a second chance. The injured body moved forward from the floor. The hand reached the door knob. People outside were also waiting. Had to turn the knob from inside. It was not a very complicated process, but getting there was the biggest task. Finally his hand reached the knob. He turned the knob and the doors opened.
And this time people were waiting outside. From this incident we have to understand how useful military training is in times of crisis. Maintain patience during times of restraint. It is very important to follow the instructions given by an experienced person. Had this training not been there, there would have been indiscriminate fire in the plane and perhaps the incident that saved the plane by a few seconds might not have happened. So all I can say is that whether the government says it or not, we all should take one year of military training and one year of technical training.
Salute and thank you, Captain Smile Mosquito. Salute to your bravery. Salute to your excellence. And salute to your last fight. In which you fought for yourself and also opened the way to new life for many people.
