Captain Smit Machchhar's bravery during a Flydubai hijacking attempt saved lives as he overcame his co-pilot's attack to open the cockpit door. Passengers and crew restrained the attacker, while claims of an Israeli plumber assisting in piloting the plane sparked debate. Machchhar emphasized his focus on survival amid the chaos.
IN AN INTERVIEW with The National, published on October 17, 2026, Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar, who has been hailed as a hero for saving 174 passengers, recalled the events from the hijacking attempt, trying to piece them together while recovering at Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi. He explained what he was feeling when his co-pilot, Hamam Al Hammami, suddenly struck him with an emergency axe. Despite suffering serious injuries during the fight, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and flight attendants to intervene.
The incident happened on September 20, 2026, in a flydubai aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. When the plane was mid-air, the co-pilot, identified as Hamam Al Hammami, an Omani pilot, allegedly attacked the Indian pilot in an attempt to crash the aircraft. Despite being injured, Machchhar opened the cockpit door. Passengers and flight attendants then entered the cockpit and helped restrain the attacker, saving the lives of those onboard.
For days, the incident dominated social media, many praised Smit for his bravery. International leaders and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all praised him for his courage and called him a hero. Another aspect of the incident that attracted widespread attention was the claim that a plumber had helped stabilize the Flydubai aircraft.
After the cockpit door opened several passengers entered to help the captain and restrain the attacker. One of them was Yaniv Hayoun, an Israeli plumber whose account of the incident and his role in it has attracted attention. Hayoun spoke to Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu about the incident and explained how events unfolded. He claimed that he handled the aircraft's controls while other passengers were trying to restrain the co-pilot. As quoted by The Guardian, Hayoun said, “jumped back, grabbed the controls, and started pulling back the handles.”
The plumber reportedly said he acted based on what he had seen in television shows and that another crew member subsequently took over and landed the aircraft. He also said that watching Air Crash Investigation had helped him understand how to operate the plane. During his interview, The National asked Machchhar about the plumber's account. The captain said he was unaware of the details of Hayoun's claims. “I don't know about the plumber story, to be very honest,” he said.
Machchhar explained that his focus throughout the incident had been on surviving. He also recalled hearing a senior flight crew member say that the captain was in control. Addressing the question of whether a plumber could land an aircraft, Machchhar said, “Can a plumber land an aircraft? I don't want to get into the guesswork here, but at the same time to answer your question, my recollection and my energy at that point were just to keep myself alive.”
Machchhar spoke to The National from his hospital bed in Abu Dhabi, where he was taken after the plane landed safely. He said the co-pilot, who had been sitting beside him throughout the flight, had behaved normally and given no indication that he was planning to hijack the aircraft or attack the captain. The aircraft was more than 30,000 feet in the air when the incident occurred. Recalling the first blow, the injured pilot said, “The first time when I was hit … my thought was something's gone horribly wrong with the aircraft structure, which has fallen on my head.”
He further explained that the attack nearly caused him to lose control of the aircraft. After the blows continued, he realized that the person attacking him was his own co-pilot. Machchhar said his immediate priority was to protect himself from the repeated blows to his head. “My immediate action was to free myself from the seat belts. And I tried to just block the blows as much as I could, because the blows were coming on the head,” he said.
Machchhar described how frightening it was when the aircraft began descending and he heard the engine noise change. He said, “The scariest thing that I heard and felt was the engines spooling down. When I say spooling down, it's the engine sound going from full blast to like … not what you want at that stage in the flight. And I felt the aircraft was steeply going down.” He explained that his instinct was to survive, although he realized how difficult that would be under the circumstances.
Machchhar recalled trying to reach the cockpit door and open it despite the attack. “And I was constantly looking for the door. I did go for it. I did push it … the next thing I remember was I was facedown, lying with, thank God, the cockpit door open. I was between the cockpit and the galley,” he said. Once Machchhar opened the cockpit door, passengers and flight attendants entered and helped restrain the attacker. However, Machchhar said he could not remember anything clearing after he opened the door.
He was losing blood and was eventually pulled out of the cockpit by a passenger. A senior cabin crew member then reached him and provided assistance. Meanwhile, two pilots who were travelling as passengers took control of the cockpit and landed the aircraft safely.
Recalling the moment, Machchhar said, “The next thing I remember was [being] pulled out by one of the passengers. And then, soon after that, the senior cabin crew thankfully reached where I was and did his magic. And yeah, that's how I'm speaking to you today.”
Machchhar became emotional while speaking about the incident. He recalled praying and thinking about his children as the events unfolded. Despite the severity of the attack and the uncertainty surrounding his survival, he said he never gave up. “Did I give up? No. I can 100 per cent tell you I did not give up. But was I sure I was going to make it? No,” he said.
(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
[Rh/VP/HP]
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