Dubai/Tel Aviv: An Indian pilot is being hailed as a hero after sustaining stab wounds in the cockpit while helping avert an attempt to crash a FlyDubai flight carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 had taken off from Dubai International Airport when a violent altercation broke out between the two pilots in the cockpit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar and attempted to crash the aircraft. During the struggle, the plane plunged nearly 14,000 feet within about two minutes, creating a critical emergency on board.
Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar managed to release the cockpit door lock, allowing a passenger and a crew member to enter and subdue the attacker. Two off-duty FlyDubai pilots travelling onboard subsequently took control of the aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. All passengers were reported unharmed, while Machchhar and the co-pilot were hospitalised. Netanyahu praised Machchhar’s courage, saying he “fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker, preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster.” Saudi authorities have taken the co-pilot into custody for questioning, and Israel’s Defence Minister described the incident as an attempted terror attack.
Profile: Captain Smit Machchhar
Machchhar, an Indian national, has served as a pilot with FlyDubai for the past four years and carries over 13 years of experience flying Boeing 737 aircraft, with more than 9,750 flying hours to his credit. Prior to joining FlyDubai in June 2022, he spent nearly a decade at SpiceJet, which he joined in 2011, rising to the positions of line training captain and senior commander.
Machchhar had initially pursued a textile engineering course related to his family business, followed by a management course, before an aviation event he attended at age 19 inspired him to become a pilot. He subsequently trained in New Zealand at a cost of approximately Rs 16-17 lakh, he said in a podcast interview. His brother has also reportedly joined FlyDubai recently as a pilot.