Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Former GoAir Pilot Recalls Heroic Captain Smit Machchhar
Prakhar Gupta met Captain Smit Machchhar at a SpiceJet office in Mumbai.
Gupta was there for a pilot job interview before the coronavirus pandemic.
He said Machchhar was friendly and knew a great deal about aviation.
Machchhar worked as a Line Training Captain, helping other pilots learn and improve during real flights.
Gupta also said Machchhar came from a family of aviators and that his brother was a pilot.
Machchhar later became known as a hero after preventing a major accident on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight.
The flight carried 174 people, including 27 children.
He joined SpiceJet in 2011 and became a flydubai captain in 2022.
Former GoAir pilot Prakhar Gupta recalled meeting Captain Smit Machchhar at a SpiceJet office in Mumbai before the coronavirus pandemic.
Gupta said Machchhar was approachable, highly knowledgeable about aviation, and then a senior SpiceJet pilot.
Machchhar served as a Line Training Captain, instructing, mentoring, and evaluating pilots during commercial passenger flights.
He was praised internationally after averting a major air crash on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
Machchhar joined SpiceJet in June 2011, worked there for over 11 years, and joined flydubai as a captain in 2022.
- Who
- Captain Smit Machchhar and former GoAir pilot Prakhar Gupta.
- What
- Gupta recalled meeting Machchhar, who was praised for averting a major air crash and saving 174 passengers.
- When
- Gupta met Machchhar just before the coronavirus pandemic; the reports were published on October 1.
- Where
- They met at the SpiceJet office in Mumbai; the flight incident occurred on the Dubai-Tel Aviv route.
- Why
- Machchhar was praised for his bravery after preventing a major crash during the flight.
- Former pilot
- Prakhar Gupta, formerly of GoAir
- Meeting location
- SpiceJet office in Mumbai
- Machchhar's role
- Line Training Captain and later flydubai captain
- Passengers on flight
- 174, including 27 children
- SpiceJet service
- Joined in June 2011 and worked there for over 11 years
- flydubai appointment
- Joined as a captain in 2022; the report says he had worked there for more than four years
- Public praise
- Praised by Droupadi Murmu, Narendra Modi, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Donald Trump
