Indian pilot stabbed by co-pilot on Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, aircraft lands safely in Saudi Arabia

An Indian captain was stabbed inside the cockpit of a Flydubai passenger plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. The injured pilot is Smit Machchhar, an Indian national who previously worked for SpiceJet for eleven years. The co-pilot, who is an Omani national, reportedly attacked him in an attempt to take control of the aircraft and crash it.

Flight Events

The plane, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating as flight FZ1073, carried about 170 people. Around two hours and fifteen minutes into the journey, a fight broke out inside the cockpit at 34,000 feet. Flight-tracking data shows the jet lost about half its altitude down to roughly 16,600 feet in about a minute. The transponder first broadcast code 7700 for a general emergency, and then code 7500 for unlawful interference. Israel scrambled fighter jets as officials feared a hijacking.

The Rescue

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the wounded captain managed to open the cockpit door. A passenger and crew members rushed in to overpower the attacker. On-duty Flydubai crew members who were traveling on the flight helped secure the aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Both pilots went to a hospital, and the injured captain is now in stable condition following surgery.

Context

Commercial aircraft cockpits are strictly secured during flight to prevent unauthorized entry and ensure passenger safety. When emergencies arise in mid-air, flight crews follow standard security protocols to divert to the nearest safe airport. Authorities in multiple countries are investigating the exact motives behind this rare cockpit altercation.