Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke to the family of Captain Smit Machchhar and applauded his bravery.The PM said Captain Machchhar averted a 9/11 kind of tragedy by demonstrating the highest level of commitment to duty when his co-pilot tried to crash the flyDubai plane from Dubai to Tel Aviv.“Yesterday, we saw what happened. Indian Captain Smit averted a 9/11 type of tragedy like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Smit displayed high levels of patience, courage and presence of mind to save co-passengers,” Modi said addressing an event to mark 100 years of the Union Public Service Commission.Earlier, PM Modi spoke to the wife and parents of Captain Machchhar.“The PM applauded the bravery of Captain Smit which saved hundreds of lives,” government sources said.They said the PM also stressed that Indian missions are providing all possible help.Leaders across the political spectrum hailed Captain Smit as a hero.