Flydubai FZ1073 Crisis: Indian Captain Stabbed as Passengers Foil Alleged Attempt to Crash Israel-Bound Flight
By: Alia kashmiri
A Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced into an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent cockpit incident in which an alleged attacker stabbed the Indian captain and apparently attempted to take control of the aircraft. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Flight FZ1073, carrying 174 passengers, was flying towards Ben Gurion Airport when a struggle reportedly broke out between the pilots. The aircraft subsequently suffered an extremely rapid loss of altitude before passengers, cabin crew and other pilots intervened and helped prevent what Israeli officials described as an apparent attempt to crash the aircraft. Reuters
Sudden plunge sends passengers into panic
The Boeing 737 was cruising towards Israel when the situation inside the cockpit suddenly deteriorated. According to passenger accounts and reports from Israeli officials, the aircraft dropped by thousands of feet in a very short period, leaving passengers terrified.
Different reports have given slightly different figures for the descent. Reuters reported that the aircraft plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, while other accounts put the total altitude loss at around 17,000 feet during the wider cockpit struggle. Reuters
Passengers described the descent as an extremely violent movement rather than ordinary turbulence. Some said they were thrown around the cabin as the aircraft suddenly lost altitude.
The incident also triggered emergency procedures, with the aircraft sending emergency signals as the situation unfolded.
Indian captain Smit Machchhar attacked
At the centre of the incident was Indian captain Smit Machchhar, who was reportedly attacked by the other pilot in the cockpit.
Israeli officials said the co-pilot allegedly stabbed Machchhar and then attempted to take control of the aircraft. The captain, despite suffering serious injuries, fought back and managed to operate the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew members to enter.
Machchhar was subsequently taken to hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where he underwent treatment. Indian officials said they remained in contact with his family, while reports said his condition was stable. Reuters
Machchhar has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience on Boeing 737 aircraft. Reports said he previously worked for SpiceJet before joining Flydubai in 2022. Reuters
Passengers rush towards the cockpit
As the aircraft descended rapidly, passengers realised that something much more serious than turbulence was taking place.
Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun was among those who moved towards the cockpit. According to his account, he and other passengers eventually managed to get inside and confront the attacker.
Hayun said he grabbed the suspected attacker and pulled him away from the injured captain. Other passengers and a dentist travelling on the aircraft also helped restrain the man.
Reports said passengers used zip ties and headphone cords to restrain him. ynetglobal
Another passenger, Dr Shota Musaev, reportedly rushed to help Machchhar after seeing him badly injured and covered in blood. He said the captain had suffered serious wounds and appeared to have lost a significant amount of blood. The Guardian
Passenger briefly helps control the aircraft
One of the most extraordinary parts of the incident came after the suspected attacker was pulled away from the controls.
Hayun later described how he briefly moved towards the aircraft’s controls and pulled back on them in an attempt to help stop the descent.
He told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his familiarity with aviation emergencies came partly from watching the television programme Air Disasters. The Times of Israel
An off-duty pilot or relief crew member who was travelling on the aircraft then took over the controls. Reports differ on the nationality of the additional pilot, but accounts agree that another qualified pilot helped stabilise the aircraft and ultimately land it safely. The Guardian
Emergency landing in Saudi Arabia
With the cockpit situation brought under control, the aircraft was diverted to Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft landed safely, and the passengers were able to leave the plane. The injured captain was taken for medical treatment, while the suspected attacker was taken into Saudi custody.
The passengers later continued their journey to Israel on a replacement aircraft and arrived at Ben Gurion Airport, where they were met by Israeli officials. Reuters
Yaniv Hayun praised after landing
Hayun emerged as one of the passengers publicly praised for helping overpower the attacker.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Hayun after his arrival in Israel and described his actions as heroic. Hayun was reportedly still wearing a blood-stained shirt after the confrontation.
Reuters also reported that Netanyahu met him at Ben Gurion Airport following the dramatic flight. Reuters Connect
Netanyahu and Israeli officials describe attempted crash
Israeli officials have described the incident as an apparent attempt to deliberately crash the aircraft.
Netanyahu said that one pilot had attacked the other and attempted to crash the plane, while Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an attempted jihadist terror attack. Reuters
However, the motive of the alleged attacker has not been independently established. Flydubai has urged caution while investigations continue, and reports about alleged radicalisation or personal behaviour by the co-pilot should therefore not be presented as established facts at this stage. MiGFlug
Flydubai suspends Israel flights
Following the incident, Flydubai announced the suspension of its flights to and from Israel while authorities investigate what happened aboard FZ1073. NDTV
The incident is expected to raise fresh questions about cockpit security, pilot screening and procedures for dealing with an attack by a member of the flight crew.
Investigation continues
The exact sequence of events inside the cockpit, the motive of the suspected attacker and the precise cause of the aircraft’s dramatic descent remain subjects of investigation.
What is established from the available accounts is that Flight FZ1073 suffered a serious cockpit emergency, Captain Smit Machchhar was injured, passengers and other crew members intervened, another qualified pilot helped regain control, and the aircraft eventually landed safely in Tabuk. Reuters
All 174 passengers survived the incident, turning what could have become a major aviation disaster into a dramatic emergency from which the aircraft and its passengers ultimately emerged safely.
Important: I have deliberately left out the claim that the co-pilot had definitely been “radicalised” or that the event was definitively a “jihadist attack”, because those points remain allegations/official characterisations rather than independently established findings. This distinction is important for a news publication.
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