This is not an official government website.
© 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Congressional Daily Record
This section is a tribute, commemoration, or district-facing statement. It mentions members such as S. Raja Krishnamoorthi. Extensions of Remarks are statements submitted for the official record, even if they were not spoken live on the floor.
Issued
October 9, 2026
house side of the record
People
1
Linked members mentioned in this section
Legislation
0
No linked legislation in this section
Committees
0
No linked committees in this section
Senate Holds
0
No hold activity linked here
Source Document
Connected Data
People mentioned
1 Helpful Term
Extensions of Remarks
Material lawmakers submit for the official record even when it was not spoken live on the floor.
Source Control
Reader mode is for comprehension. The linked government PDF is the official published source.
Download official Extensions PDFReturn to issue contextHON. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI
of illinois
in the house of representatives
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Captain Smit Machchhar of India, a husband, father, and pilot with 17 years of flying experience, including 11 as a captain, whose extraordinary bravery on September 30, 2026, helped save the lives of 172 passengers and his fellow crew members aboard Flydubai Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, including 4 United States citizens and 27 children.
Machchhar with the aircraft's emergency crash axe and attempted to seize the flight controls. The aircraft plunged approximately 16,000 feet in about 30 seconds. Despite grave injuries, Captain Machchhar fought his way to the cockpit door and opened it, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and overpower his attacker. Two reserve Flydubai pilots traveling aboard the aircraft then took control and landed it safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
the lives of everyone aboard depended on what he did next. Despite his injuries, his years of experience told him that the aircraft was going down, and he found the strength to reach that door. His presence of mind, determination, and courage gave the passengers and crew the chance they needed to stop the attack and avert a catastrophe.
unimaginable loss. Because Captain Machchhar refused to give up, the passengers and crew aboard that aircraft had the chance to return to the people who love them.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Captain Smit Machchhar, whose extraordinary courage helped save hundreds of lives aboard Flight 1073. We extend our warmest wishes to him, his wife Sonal, their two children, and their entire family, and we hope for the captain's full-speed recovery from his injuries at the earliest.