Flashbacks, Fear, PTSD: What Smit Machchhar May Be Going Through After The FlyDubai Attack, Psychologist Explains

Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who helped avert a mid-air disaster, is stable. As he recovers physically, the psychological impact of the traumatic event may emerge gradually.

Surviving a life-threatening incident does not necessarily mean the mind immediately moves on once the physical danger has passed. For Captain Smit Machchhar, the psychological recovery may be a different journey altogether.

The FlyDubai pilot was seriously injured after being attacked by his co-pilot during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing others to intervene while the aircraft was in a steep descent. He is now recovering in a hospital in Abu Dhabi.

Machchhar, the Indian pilot who helped prevent a mid-air disaster on a Flydubai flight, is reported to be in stable condition and receiving medical care. While physical recovery is the immediate priority, the psychological impact of such an extreme event can unfold more slowly and quietly.

His wife, Sonal, has said the family is deliberately not asking him about the incident because they do not want to trigger flashbacks while he recovers.

What Happens To the Mind After A High-Stakes Trauma?

After a potentially traumatic event, a person may experience fear, confusion, disturbed sleep, physical tension, heightened alertness, intrusive memories or nightmares. These can be part of the mind’s immediate response to an overwhelming experience. WHO notes that most people exposed to potentially traumatic events do not go on to develop PTSD.

“In the hours and days after an event like this, the brain is still in survival mode," explains Meera Kapoor, a trauma-informed clinical psychologist with over 15 years of experience working with first responders and high-risk professionals.

Kapoor says, “The body may have survived, but the nervous system can remain on high alert. This is not weakness, it is the brain’s way of trying to keep the person safe."

Common early responses include intrusive memories, heightened startle responses, difficulty sleeping, and a sense of emotional numbness or detachment. These are typical reactions to acute trauma and do not automatically mean a person will develop long-term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, without space and support, the risk of more persistent symptoms can rise.

One of the ways the nervous system can respond to trauma is by remaining on high alert.

A survivor may become unusually sensitive to sudden noises, movements or situations that resemble the original danger. They may find it difficult to relax, sleep or concentrate, or repeatedly scan their surroundings for threats. These are recognised trauma-related responses.

For someone whose trauma occurred inside an aircraft cockpit, it is also reasonable to consider that reminders associated with flying could become emotionally difficult. However, there is no public evidence that Machchhar is currently experiencing any particular psychological symptom, and it would be inappropriate to diagnose him from news reports.

Why Flashbacks Appear Even After The Danger is Over?

Flashbacks are the mind replaying fragments of the threat as if it were happening again. They can be triggered by sounds, smells, sudden movements, or even the feeling of being in a confined space. For a professional pilot whose workplace is the cockpit, returning to that environment or even thinking about it can activate strong fear responses.

“Many people in high-stakes professions feel pressure to ‘be fine’ quickly because they are used to performing under stress," Dr. Kapoor notes. “But trauma does not follow a performance schedule. The system needs time to down-regulate. Pushing someone to recount details too early can re-traumatise rather than help."

This aligns with the approach Smit’s family is taking, prioritising physical healing and emotional safety before any detailed discussion of the incident.

Does Avoiding to Talk About the Attack Help Survivors?

Avoidance is one of the recognised responses associated with trauma. A survivor may not want to discuss what happened, watch related footage, return to a particular location or engage with reminders of the incident.

That makes Sonal’s decision to give her husband space understandable from a psychological perspective. At the same time, avoiding the subject in the immediate recovery period is not the same as avoiding it indefinitely.

“There is a difference between giving someone control over when they talk and telling them they should never talk about it," says Kapoor. “Trauma processing needs to happen at the survivor’s pace and, when necessary, with professional support."

When Does Trauma Become PTSD?

Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event develops PTSD. Risk depends on factors such as the intensity of the threat, prior experiences, available support, and whether the person feels safe in the aftermath.

Feeling frightened, having nightmares or replaying an incident shortly after it happens does not automatically mean PTSD. PTSD involves persistent symptoms such as re-experiencing the trauma, avoidance, heightened threat responses and significant disruption to everyday functioning.

Symptoms can begin soon after trauma, but PTSD is diagnosed based on the pattern, persistence and impact of symptoms rather than simply the fact that someone survived a frightening event.

What Can Help During the Early Recovery Period?

For someone recovering from severe trauma, the initial focus is often on restoring a sense of safety and control. Family members can play an important role, but support does not necessarily mean repeatedly asking the survivor to recount what happened.

“After a traumatic event, one of the most helpful things loved ones can offer is a sense of safety without demanding details before the person is ready. Let the survivor decide when they want to speak, how much they want to share and with whom. That sense of control can be particularly important after an experience in which they had very little control over what was happening," says Meera.

If distressing memories, nightmares, avoidance, hypervigilance or anxiety continue and begin interfering with daily functioning, professional support may be needed. Trauma-focused psychological therapies are among the established treatments for PTSD, while Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is another evidence-based approach used for trauma-related symptoms.

For now, Machchhar’s psychological state remains something only he and his treating professionals can properly assess. What can be said is that surviving an extraordinary threat can leave psychological effects long after physical injuries begin to heal.

As Kapoor emphasizes, “Heroism and human vulnerability can exist in the same person. Honouring both is part of true recovery."

“Early supportive care makes a real difference," says Dr. Kapoor. “That includes protecting the person from unnecessary retelling, ensuring rest, maintaining connection with trusted people, and eventually, when they are ready, offering trauma-focused therapies such as EMDR or trauma-focused CBT. Recovery is rarely linear. There can be good days and harder days. The goal is not to erase the memory but to help the nervous system stop treating the past as present danger."