Flydubai pilot stabbed in mid-air cockpit attack

Flydubai captain Smith Machhar, who sustained severe stab wounds during an in-flight incident aboard a Dubai–Tel Aviv service, managed to unlock the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew members to subdue the assailant. The aircraft subsequently landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

According to Israel Hayom, Machhar is an Indian national. He has been flying with Flydubai since 2022, following an 11-year tenure as a flight instructor with Indian carrier SpiceJet. Over his 13-year aviation career, he has logged approximately 9,750 flight hours, more than 6,400 of them as pilot-in-command. He holds extensive type ratings on the Boeing 737 family, including the 737-800 and 737 MAX variants.

The incident occurred on the morning of September 30 aboard an aircraft carrying approximately 180 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv. During cruise, the airliner plummeted roughly 17,000 feet in two minutes before transmitting emergency transponder squawk codes 7700 and 7500—the latter designated for unlawful interference or hijackings.

A violent altercation erupted between the two operating pilots. One of them allegedly attempted to force the aircraft out of control. Despite suffering knife wounds, Machhar managed to unlock the flight deck door. Passengers and cabin crew rushed inside and overpowered the attacker.

One passenger, Yaniv Hayun, recounted grabbing the assailant and hauling him out of the cockpit. He noted that the man was attempting to damage the flight controls. Hayun said that while others wrestled with the attacker, he seized the control yoke and pulled back, recalling maneuvers he had seen on television, before qualified crew members took over the controls.

Another passenger, Miriam Shira Ohayon, speaking to reporters via her mother's phone from Tel Aviv airport, said a pilot attempted to "carry out a terrorist attack on board," adding: "The plane was genuinely on the brink of crashing." She noted that a physician traveling on the flight administered emergency first aid to the wounded captain.

Accounts vary regarding who ultimately landed the airliner. According to one version, flight operations were assumed by two off-duty commercial pilots traveling as passengers. Israeli media identified them as South African and New Zealand nationals, while the BBC reported the involvement of a British pilot alongside another European aviator.

Following an emergency landing at Tabuk Regional Airport, the wounded captain was transported to a local hospital. Recent reports indicate he is in stable condition. The assailant was taken into custody by Saudi authorities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the attacker’s actions may have been a deliberate attempt to crash the aircraft. Israeli authorities are currently investigating whether the incident was terror-motivated.