After all the extreme racism and hinduphobic hate against Indians, it was an Indian Hindu now being praised across the globe by leaders and the public for stopping a mass 9/11 style terror attack, in true Hindu tradition, as Amjad Taha, a UAE-based political strategist and analyst, quoted and pointed out,
“A salute to flydubai’s brave Indian pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar. Stabbed and wounded, yet he stood his ground. With the courage of “Arjuna” in the face of danger and the resolve of “Hanuman” when duty called, he fought back, opened the cockpit door, and gave the passengers and crew the chance to prevent disaster. He helped save 174 lives. Tonight, from the UAE to India to Israel, people are united in gratitude, wishing Captain Machchhar a swift and full recovery. A hero to his passengers, to aviation, and to people everywhere. Salute, Captain.” !
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv descended into chaos after the co-pilot allegedly attacked and stabbed the Indian captain mid-air. Flight FZ1073 issued emergency and possible hijacking signals before diverting to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Passengers later described terrifying moments inside the aircraft and how they helped overpower the attacker.
23,000 Feet Per Minute: Inside FlyDubai’s Terrifying Dive
A terrifying dive, reports of a fight inside the cockpit, and an emergency diversion. What happened aboard this Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8—and what does the flight data reveal? As a current Boeing 737 captain, I break down the ADS-B data and reconstruct the flight path in Microsoft Flight Simulator. We examine the reported peak descent rate of more than 23,000 feet per minute, the estimated airspeed during the dive, and why recovering from an extreme nose-down attitude requires precise control. I also examine the emergency transponder codes and the diversion to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, including questions about why the aircraft turned away from closer airports. This analysis is based on information available at the time of recording. Reports of a cockpit altercation and stabbing remain subject to investigation. Airspeed and G-load figures are estimates derived from flight data, not flight recorder measurements. Subscribe and turn on notifications for more aviation analysis from a working airline captain.
‘Fought Like A Lion’: Expert Praises Indian Pilot After Flydubai Cockpit Horror
Strategic affairs expert John Spencer has praised the Indian pilot at the centre of the Flydubai cockpit incident, saying his actions may have helped alert passengers and give others access to the cockpit. Spencer said the aircraft was already in a steep descent, losing around 18,000 feet in roughly two minutes, while the pilot was reportedly being attacked. The precise nature of the weapon and sequence of events remain under investigation.
“Allahu Akbar” Shouted During FlyDubai Flight Incident | Passengers Recall Mid-Air Chaos | N18G
Passengers aboard FlyDubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced moments of panic after an incident on the flight deck forced the aircraft to divert to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The plane had transmitted emergency signals, including code 7500, associated with unlawful interference. FlyDubai later confirmed that an altercation had occurred in the flight deck and said the aircraft was secured by crew members before landing safely in Tabuk. Passenger accounts described chaotic scenes inside the aircraft, with reports that someone shouted “Allahu Akbar” and rushed toward the pilot. Some passengers reportedly intervened and helped restrain the person. These accounts have been reported by Israeli media, while the exact circumstances and motive remain under investigation. The passengers were later flown from Saudi Arabia to Israel on a replacement FlyDubai aircraft and arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport.
The Hero Who Helped Save 180 Lives
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar has emerged as the hero of the terrifying flydubai mid-air emergency. The former SpiceJet pilot was reportedly stabbed during a cockpit confrontation but helped regain control of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and get nearly 180 people safely on the ground in Saudi Arabia.
Smit Machchhar & Neerja Bhanot: Two Indian Aviation Heroes, One Courageous Legacy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi saluted Captain Smit Machchhar for his courage, presence of mind and bravery during the incident. PM Modi also spoke about his conversation with Captain Smit’s family and prayed for his speedy recovery, good health and long life. He said the entire nation was proud of Captain Smit Machchhar and his courage.
Captain Smit Machchhar is being hailed for his actions during the dramatic cockpit crisis aboard Flydubai FZ1073, which was carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv. After an alleged attack by the co-pilot, the aircraft reportedly entered a rapid descent before passengers and crew intervened. The flight eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Aviation commentator Flying Beast discusses whether the aircraft’s emergency crash axe may have been used in the attack. Reports have also attributed an axe-related claim to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, Flydubai has said the circumstances remain under investigation, meaning the exact weapon and sequence of events have not been independently established. Despite suffering serious injuries, Machchhar reportedly managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to enter and restrain the attacker. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Netanyahu have praised his courage. Machchhar is reported to be stable and receiving treatment in Saudi Arabia.
“He was a hero…” Trump hails Indian pilot allegedly stabbed by co-pilot aboard Flydubai flight
US President Donald Trump says, “I spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu about this incident… It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot… The pilot was in very bad shape… But in a way, he was a hero to open the door…”
Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar helped avert a major disaster aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 after his Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked him and attempted to take control of the aircraft. Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar helped open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene. The aircraft later landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
There was a lot of blood’: Passenger recounts Flydubai cockpit horror
A passenger’s mother said her daughter heard a pilot screaming for help before a man allegedly pulled out a knife and attacked him, leaving blood in the cockpit. The Dubai-Tel Aviv flight later diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after transmitting emergency signals; Israeli officials said it was not believed to be a hijacking.
One of the Israeli passengers who fought the hijacker told Benjamin Netanyahu that Captain Machchar managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing after being stabbed. Then they entered and took over the hijacker before he could crash the plane.
HERO ISRAELI DOCTOR SHOTA MUSAEV ON HOW HE SAVED THE LIFE OF INDIAN PILOT SMIT MACHCHHAR
Reporter: The main hero, perhaps it can be said, who saved…
Dr. Shota Musaev: I think everyone was a hero. I don’t think that I am a hero or someone else. Everyone, it was teamwork. A few more moments, and we wouldn’t have been here. We… we managed to really take control of the whole event and… we did it. I think a few more moments, and we wouldn’t have been here anymore.
Reporter: Wait, let’s get things straight. First of all, what is your full name? Dr. Shota Musaev:
Reporter: Doctor, you were actually there on the flight, and it can actually be said that you saved the life of the pilot?
Dr. Shota Musaev: That… it can be said that yes. It can be said that yes.
Reporter: Tell me about those moments. Dr. Shota Musaev: A person injured in the head, in the hands, in… in the whole body, covered in blood. And what could be done at that moment, we did. Of course, there was real panic there, and screams, and…
Reporter: How do you handle a situation like that, especially given your wife’s panic?
Dr. Shota Musaev: During that time, you simply don’t think; you do… what the body gives you and what… what you do to survive. That’s the point.
Reporter: And regarding… here is the father, Yosef, who we saw earlier, who was very, very emotional and waited…
Dr. Shota Musaev: Yes. Yosef (Father): We have today… an open miracle, guys, an open miracle! Believe in miracles, believe! Believe in miracles! Reporter: Yes, Miri, the excitement here is great. Thank you, my dear…
Dr. Shota Musaev: I think… I think there were guys there as well, real heroes, who also managed to enter and take control of everything, and… they did wonderful work. All of us together, hand in hand, and the whole plane… I think truly everyone as one, we were together like one whole, and we supported one another, and we did it in the end.
Reporter: Wonderful. Is there family, children, your wife?
Dr. Shota Musaev: My wife… my wife and my children. My wife has already run ahead…
Reporter: Thank you.
Dr. Shota Musaev: She helped us with prayers, and she helped everyone, I think, on the plane.
The Indian pilot who fought off a savage attack by his copilot and helped prevent an apparent hijack of a Flydubai plane heading to Israel with more than 170 people on board is being hailed as a hero.
Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed while trying to fend off the attacker, leaving him badly wounded. During the struggle the cockpit door was opened, allowing other passengers to rush in, subdue his assailant, and take control of the plane that was enroute to Tel Aviv.
Machchhar’s actions have received widespread praise from political leaders, passengers who were onboard, and those who know him.
“Smit Machchhar is a talented, soft spoken, kind-hearted and a person with good nature,” said Jinat Shah, who used to live next door to him in Mumbai before the pilot moved to Dubai. “He is an incredible person, and I hope for his fast recovery,” Shah told Indian news agency ANI.
Passengers who were on flight FZ1073 described those chaotic moments, during which the plane plummeted 17,400 feet in less than 120 seconds. One told CNN: “I was just sure I was going to die.”
But after the attacker was restrained, the flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia, where it was safely landed by two standby pilots who happened to be flying as passengers
His heroics came at a huge personal cost for Machchhar, reported to be a 39-year-old father of two.
Images show showed a gruesome scene onboard following the attack, with blood splashed across the cockpit and the seriously wounded pilot lying on the floor, his pained face partially covered with a mask.
Machchhar had suffered “massive blood loss” and was “severely wounded,” dentist Shota Musaev, a passenger on the flight who helped treat him, told CNN.
“I think that if we had waited even a few more moments, we would have lost him; his blood pressure had plummeted, he suddenly lost consciousness, and there was blood everywhere,” he said.
His bravery “managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN.
Machchhar is now receiving medical care at a hospital in Saudi Arabia, according to the Indian embassy in Riyadh, and is in stable condition.
Celebrated as a hero
Born into a family in the textile business, becoming a pilot wasn’t Machchhar’s “childhood dream,” he told the Bona-Fide Banter podcast in 2025. Initially, he’d enrolled in a textile engineering course after school.
“I finished the entire course, I still was young so wanted to (do) a little more studies,” he said.
Once he decided on flying, training took him to New Zealand, where he arrived aged around 19, in the southern city of Dunedin.
“He was always sort of a jovial young man and he tried hard,” his instructor at the time Philip Kean told CNN.
In a group photograph Kean shared from those days, Machchhar is easy to pick out. “He definitely got a smile of his own… he’s sort of a happy, happy chap,” said Kean, CEO of Mainland Air in Dunedin.
Before Wednesday’s incident, one of the most unusual situations he had faced during his over 15 years of flying was the birth of a baby on board.
A woman on the plane, who was not at term, had started experiencing labor pains, Machchhar told the Bona-Fide Banter podcast. “Within 7-10 minutes, she was like, ‘captain this is now advancing toward a delivery.’”
Machchhar said he and the first officer started to check for the nearest airfields and conditions to make a safe landing. “Both the mother baby were fine, he added.
Watching the news of Machchhar’s heroic actions on the Flydubai flight from New Zealand, his former instructor Kean was full of praise for the young man he had once taught.
“It was an amazing feat,” he told CNN.
“There could have been a whole airplane load of people wiped out in a matter of seconds, and luckily they got the door open… luckily he could hang on and save the day. Another half a minute would have been all over.”
“I’m very proud,” he said. “I’m very proud that he handled that situation… It’s great the way it turned out.”
Machchhar has become a national hero for two nations –– Israel, where most of the passengers hailed from, and his own home country, India.
“The pilot from Mumbai who proved to be a hero,” wrote the Times of India.
“Viewers, if 166 Israelis go home tonight without a scratch, it is all down to the bravery of one single Indian, Captain Smit Machchhar,” a CNN News-18 anchor said during his primetime program.
Speaking on the podcast last year how it feels to be a pilot, Machchhar’s answer was simple: “Blessed.”
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