Mumbai: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s office to confer a national bravery award or another appropriate national civilian recognition on flydubai commander Capt Smit Machchhar, who was seriously injured after being attacked by the first officer during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Sept 30.
The flight was carrying 174 passengers and eight crew members. FIP said Capt Smit was a member of the federation until 2022 and remains part of the wider professional pilots’ fraternity.
“Instead of allowing his personal injuries and the unprecedented threat to compromise his responsibilities, he continued to focus on the safety of the aircraft and the people on board,” said Capt C S Randhawa, president, FIP, in an Oct 2 letter sent to PM. “The ability to remain sufficiently composed, exercise command and make critical decisions while injured and under threat demonstrates extraordinary courage, resilience, situational awareness, leadership and devotion to duty,” the letter said, adding that for the aviation fraternity this incident demonstrates the highest meaning of responsibility accepted by a pilot-in-command (PIC): to place the safety of passengers and crew above personal safety when confronted with an extreme emergency. However, an attack upon the PIC within the flight deck presents an entirely different and exceptionally grave challenge,” it said. “The significance of Capt Smit’s actions must also be viewed in the context of the lives entrusted to him,” the letter said. “We respectfully request that the appropriate authorities may kindly examine the circumstances of the incident, obtain the relevant operational and medical records and consider Capt Smit’s conduct for the highest appropriate form of recognition,” it added.
“A PIC is trained to deal with aircraft emergencies, adverse weather, technical failures, medical emergencies and other operational threats. “Capt Smit’s continued performance of his duties and the subsequent safe diversion to Tabuk represent an exceptional act of professional courage and responsibility.