Lots of people call lottery winner Mohammad Basheer Abdul Khadar one of the luckiest people on the planet. After all, he won a jackpot prize that made him very wealthy.
But that’s not the half of it.
You see, Khadar did indeed beat the odds to score a millionaire-making lottery prize. But he also beat the odds when he survived a horrendous plane crash that could easily have cost him his life.
And he accomplished both amazing feats all in the same week!
Read the story of how this seemingly ordinary man lived through a week that would change his life forever. Discover how he became a symbol of extraordinary good fortune and a testament to the unpredictability of life.
Would you prefer to watch a video about this amazing lottery winner? Then check out our video of Khadar, the “miracle lottery winner”:
Surviving the unthinkable
Like many Indian nationals working in Gulf countries, Mohammad Basheer Abdul Khadar was a longtime air commuter. On one journey back to Dubai from holiday in Kerala province, Khadar was on a plane as it was approaching Dubai Airport, one of the busiest in the world.
Every day an average 252,000 travelers pass through the facility. Midday on August 3, 2016, incoming Emirates Flight 521 (EK521) appeared to be a routine flight.
“Everything seemed normal on approach,” one shaken passenger recalled.
Unknown to those passengers, however, the landing was about to become terrifying. The plane touched down only to immediately lift back off. Still, nothing to be concerned about. The pilots circled the plane around for another attempt.
Then something went horribly wrong.
Despite the best efforts of the pilots to manually force the thrusters to maximum, the plane sank. With the landing gear partially retracted by the automatic system, the front wheel was unable to withstand the force of the crash landing.
For the passengers, the horror began when the front wheel snapped off. This sent the plane skidding out-of-control, nose-down, across the pavement. One wing snapped off as the plane came up hard against the margin. Footage of the crash from the airport shows a flash of flame, followed by a billowing column of thick, black smoke.
Chaos and confusion followed by rescue
Emirates Airline crews are trained to evacuate a plane in 90 seconds, even if half the doors are blocked.
Shaky cellphone footage from inside the Boeing 777 shows the terrified passengers — one of whom was Khadar — in frantic confusion. The crew can be heard shouting in several languages. Those orders were designed to break through the understandable panic, overriding natural instincts to mill in confusion or try to collect luggage.
Thanks to that training, the 282 passengers all made it out safely. Only then did the 18 crew members exit the burning plane.
Airport firefighters — on the scene within 33 seconds of the crash — valiantly tried to put out several blazes. Tragically, one of the fires reached the central fuel tank. The explosion cost firefighter Jassim Essa Al-Baloushi his life, even “while saving the lives of others…”
Thirteen passengers suffered minor injuries, while the captain and one senior flight attendant were badly hurt.
From survivor to millionaire lottery winner
Our hero Khadar, an unassuming fleet administrator with a car dealer group, said, “I feel like God gave me a second life when I survived the plane crash…”
Khadar had already beaten the odds. But luck wasn’t done with him yet.
Most of the passengers lost everything they had on the plane unless they had their passports on them. One thing Khadar saved — probably without realizing it — was ticket number 0845 in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire lottery.
It was Khadar’s practice to buy a lottery ticket whenever he left his home in India for work in Dubai. That ticket was the 17th he’d purchased.
Six days after the only hull loss in Emirates Airlines history, number 0845 was drawn on Concourse A of that very same Dubai Airport. The jackpot was worth $1 million USD.
The man behind the luck
Luck always seems to strike out of the blue, without warning or reason. Yet, in some ways, Khadar’s incredible run of “luck” was a fitting commentary on a life well-lived.
Khadar was 61 years old that memorable week. He’d worked at the same humble job for 37 years, earning about $2,200 a month.
Back home in India, he was providing for his wife and two children.
By the time of the crash and lottery win, he’d seen his daughter successfully married, a very important event in Indian culture. He’d also been providing for his 21-year-old son, who was paralyzed shortly after birth.
Among other blessings, the money allowed him to pay back some of the debts that difficulty had incurred.
A second life: Khadar’s plans for the lottery fortune
In an interview, Khadar continued his commentary on his luck by giving the glory to God, “…and [He] blessed me with this money to follow all this up by doing good things.”
While Khadar planned to leave his job in Dubai, he had hopes of finding a new job where he could help needy children in Kerala province. He said that he wouldn’t donate his winnings to charity. Instead, he would use the financial security to create a new life of service and support.
A testament to the unpredictability of life
It might be easy, even tempting, to consider life unfair and luck out of reach for most of us. But if Khadar’s inspirational story proves one thing, it’s that “luck” tends to follow faithfulness.
If Khadar had died on flight EK521, he would’ve left a legacy of service, sacrifice, and love to his family. Fortunately, he walked away from that fiery disaster with his life full of gratitude.
And when lightning struck a second time, this time providing him with truly unexpected windfall wealth, little changed.
Yes, he paid off his debts. Yes, he was finally able to quit his job and the required commute. But he didn’t leave his home, his wife, his grown children, or his community behind. Instead, Khadar is looking forward to a less stressful life where he can continue to bless those around him, as he believes God blessed him.