Flydubai FZ1073: Stabbed Pilot’s “One Last Push” Saved 170 Lives

The Indian captain of a Flydubai jet bound for Tel Aviv says he was stabbed by his own co-pilot, lying injured on the cockpit floor, when he understood the aircraft was falling — and chose one final effort to unlock the door. “I knew I was not going to let others die,” Captain Smit Machchhar said. 170 people survived.

What happened in the air

Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv plunged more than 17,000ft (5,200m) about two and a half hours into Wednesday’s early-morning flight. It transmitted an emergency signal to air traffic control before switching to squawk 7500 — the code for hijacking. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other before “apparently trying to crash” the plane. Fellow passengers overpowered the attacker, and two reserve pilots travelling on board took the controls, landing at Tabuk Airport in north-west Saudi Arabia at 06:58 local time.

The captain’s account

Machchhar, speaking by video call to Indian PM Narendra Modi, said: “I was lying on the floor injured but I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside.” He added: “I was of course fighting for my own life but at the same time I knew I was not going to let others die.” A 17-year veteran, he told Modi he “can tell what is happening to the plane even with my eyes closed.” Netanyahu called him “a true hero.” Aboard, passenger video captured the moment a voice announced, “There’s an extra pilot,” before crew brought the cabin under control.

The attacker

Netanyahu told Fox News the co-pilot was an Omani national and said investigations suggested “Islamist radical indoctrination.” Once restrained and bound by passengers and crew, the man reportedly urged the aircrew to “kill me, kill me” — language Netanyahu called evidence he “was suicidal… that’s not a question.” An Israeli official separately alleged he had discussed “killing Jews” on social media. These remain allegations. The UAE has opened an investigation into “whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose.”

Recovery

Machchhar was treated in Tabuk, then airlifted to Abu Dhabi, where he is reported in stable condition. India’s embassy in the UAE said he was “in good health and recovering well”; ambassador Deepak Mittal said he was “proud of Capt Smit for his bravery.” Machchhar, who has been celebrated across Indian social media, kept framing the injury as distance travelled: “I am not looking at this wound like a wound because that would make my recovery even more difficult… I am looking at it as a journey.”