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Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight in what Israeli officials called an apparent attempt to crash the plane.
Despite his injuries, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door, letting crew and passengers subdue the attacker; an off-duty pilot on board then took over and landed the plane in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar has about 13-15 years of commercial flying experience on Boeing 737s, including 11 years at SpiceJet before joining Flydubai in 2022.
ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2026, as a flydubai aircraft was en-route from Dubai to Tel Aviv, panic ensued onboard after one pilot stabbed another. As the attacker attempted to sabotage the plane’s system in an apparent bid to crash the aircraft, the injured pilot, still bleeding out from the stabbing wound, held him off long enough for the cabin crew and passengers to break inside the cockpit and overpower the attacker. An off-duty pilot preset onboard then took over and safely landed the aircraft safely to the Saudi Arabian city of Tabuk.
The brave flydubai pilot, who risked his life to save the lives of 174 passengers, has been identified as Captain Smit Machchhar. The Indian-origin pilot has received commendation for his heroic actions in securing the safety of the passengers and fending off the attacker, with praise pouring in from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and American President Donald Trump.
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar prevented a potentially serious aviation disaster on Wednesday after stopping his co-pilot from attempting to crash a flydubai aircraft. Despite being covered in blood, Machchhar managed to activate the cockpit door release, enabling passengers and crew members to enter and overpower the co-pilot. The incident took place aboard a flight bound for Israel on September 30, 2026, and brought widespread attention to Captain Smit Machchhar, who was praised as a “hero” by Netanyahu.
See also: Air India Flight From Phuket to Delhi Hits Turbulence, Several Passengers Injured
Captain Smit Machchhar is an Indian national employed by flydubai, the lower-cost sister airline of Emirates. He grew up in Ghatkopar and studied in Mumbai, a family friend revealed to Hindustan Times.
As per his LinkedIn profile, Captain Machchhar has been with flydubai for the past four years. Before joining the airline, he spent 10 years working with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier. In 2011, he joined the airline as a senior commander before eventually assuming the role of a Line Training Captain. In June 2022, Smit parted ways with SpiceJet and joined flydubai as a direct entry captain.
Captain Machchhar has more than 13 years of experience flying commercially on Boeing 737 aircraft. He has also worked extensively as a line training captain and has logged over 9,750 hours of flying time.
Captain Machchhar previously discussed his career journey on the Bonafide Banter podcast with host Zalak Mehta. In the podcast’s episode posted to YouTube on October 17, 2025, Smit revealed that aviation wasn't his initial dream and that his parents have qualms about him becoming a pilot. “First of all, unlike a lot of other aviators right now, aviation was not like a childhood dream,” he said.
After completing school, Smit enrolled in a textile engineering course connected to his family's business. He later opted to pursue management, and during that course, he attended an aviation seminar that made him realise he wanted to become a pilot. He was 19 at the time.
Machchhar said his mother was worried about his decision, while his father remained calm. "Just figure out how and where you can do it," his father told him. He subsequently underwent pilot training in New Zealand and said the cost of his training was around Rs 16 lakh to Rs 17 lakh, compared with more than Rs 80 lakh at present.
Smit also talked about the vital role a cabin crew plays in ensuring the safety of all those onboard, as sometimes they are the only one standing between life and death. “When we are up there and something happens, who’s going to save you? You’ll be lucky enough to have a doctor on board… but if not, then they (the crew) may not be trained to do surgeries but they can save your life," he remarked.
On Wednesday, the flydubai flight FZ1073 took off from the Dubai International Airport, destined to arrive at the Ben Gurion International Airport located in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. All of a sudden, an altercation erupted in the cockpit as the two pilots got into a scuffle, with one of them stabbing the other with a knife. The aircraft lost control and made an abnormal descent, plunging nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds that triggered panic among the passengers and the cabin crew. As fended off the attacker while being wounded, Smit somehow managed to activate the cockpit door release.
Passengers then stormed into the cockpit, finding Smit almost out of consciousness bleeding out onto the floor and the attacker sabotaging the aircraft’s system in order to crash it. Several people restrained the attacker and took care of Smit, while another off-duty pilot who happened to be onboard took over and safely landed the plane in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk City. All the 174 passengers and the crew members — except for the two pilots — were unharmed.
The attacker has been taken into custody and will be questioned by authorities, whereas Smit was rushed to a local Saudi Arabian hospital wherein he is currently receiving treatment.
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