Hero Pilot Stabbed by Co-Pilot on Flydubai Flight to Tel Aviv
Translated & summarized from Globes by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot on a Flydubai flight.
- Machchhar fought back, and passengers helped subdue the co-pilot.
- The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu called it a serious security incident.
- The co-pilot's motive is under investigation.
Captain Smit Machchhar, a veteran pilot from India based in Dubai, was the pilot who was stabbed during an incident on Flydubai flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Reports indicate Machchhar fought his co-pilot after being attacked and stabbed, an altercation that concluded with the suspect being subdued and the aircraft making a safe landing in Saudi Arabia. Machchhar joined Flydubai in June 2022, following an 11-year tenure with Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet, where he held senior flight positions. He has accumulated over 9,750 flight hours on Boeing 737 aircraft, with more than 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command. During his time at SpiceJet, he also served as a training captain.
According to Israeli officials, the co-pilot attacked and stabbed Machchhar during a confrontation in the cockpit and attempted to sabotage the aircraft's systems. Simultaneously, the plane lost nearly 14,000 feet in altitude within a minute. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the event as a "most serious security incident," stating that one pilot stabbed the other and "apparently tried to crash the plane with its occupants." He added that an Israeli passenger and a crew member managed to breach the cockpit and neutralize the assailant while he was attempting to tamper with the aircraft's systems. Another pilot on board entered the cockpit and assisted in subduing the co-pilot.
The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Footage showed Machchhar injured and covered in blood, with one of the Israeli passengers who assisted, Zvika Mans, a CEO at Barak Naomi Underwriting, seen beside him saying, "We are keeping the pilot alive here." Other videos captured passengers praising Machchhar for his actions, crediting him with saving the plane. Machchhar received medical attention in Saudi Arabia following the landing.
The passengers were unharmed and were later flown to Israel on a replacement Flydubai aircraft, landing at Ben Gurion Airport. The circumstances and the co-pilot's motive are still under investigation.
Read the original at GlobesMentioned
