Indian Pilot Smit Machchhar Recounts Cockpit Attack on Flydubai Flight to Tel Aviv

UPDATE - follow-up to Flydubai attack: Omani co-pilot prayed before attacking Indian pilot Smit Machchhar: Indian captain Smit Machchhar has detailed how his co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, attacked him with a crash axe midway through a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September.

The Attack

Flight FZ1073 was carrying 174 people, mostly Israelis, when the Boeing 737 Max plunged sharply after the assault. Machchhar told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that al-Hammami stood up to pray, moving behind him before striking him in the head with an axe after four or five minutes. According to the UAE prosecutor general, the co-pilot used a crash axe typically kept in the cockpit for emergencies. Blinded and bleeding, Machchhar opened the cockpit door before being pushed back, later mustering the strength to open it a final time so passengers and reserve pilots could overpower the attacker and land safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Aftermath and Investigation

Netanyahu invited Machchhar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a celebratory flame on Israel's next independence day, praising the captain's bravery. The UAE attorney general stated that investigations indicate the co-pilot attempted a terrorist act following Islamist radical indoctrination. Meanwhile, Australian authorities confirmed they are looking into al-Hammami's past links after reports he studied in the country between 2015 and 2017.

Context

Cockpit security measures are heavily regulated globally, yet access to emergency tools like crash axes remains standard procedure for flight safety. International aviation authorities and intelligence agencies routinely review crew vetting processes to prevent security breaches.