flydubai co-pilot attacks captain in cockpit; Tabuk landing after passengers intervene
Captain Smit Machhar was seriously injured when flydubai flight FZ 1073 to Tel Aviv was attacked mid-air on September 30, 2026; the plane landed safely at Tabuk.
A harrowing incident took place on a flydubai aircraft on September 30, 2026, amid rising political and military tension in the Middle East. Flight FZ 1073, which was headed from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, carried more than 174 passengers.
While the aircraft was at about 34,000 feet near the airspace of Jordan and Israel, a scuffle suddenly broke out in the cockpit. The co-pilot, an Omani national who had joined flydubai only eight months earlier, launched a murderous attack on the captain in an attempt to crash or hijack the aircraft.
The captain in the cockpit was Captain Smit Machhar, who is of Indian origin. The Omani co-pilot attacked him with a knife and seriously injured him. In the struggle, control of the aircraft was lost for a few moments, and the Boeing 737 Max dropped from a great height in just two minutes. Passengers felt intense pressure in the cabin and panic spread.
Though badly wounded and bleeding, Captain Smit did not let control slip away completely. He immediately sent emergency signals to air traffic control (ATC), including the code 7700 for a general emergency and the international code 7500 (Squawk 7500), which signals a hijacking. On receiving the signal, security agencies in Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were thrown into a stir. As a precaution, Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled at once.
On board, shouting was heard from the cockpit and the aircraft was felt to be descending fast. Some Israeli passengers and cabin crew rushed to the cockpit. Two off-duty pilots travelling as passengers, along with other passengers, opened the cockpit door, seized the attacking Omani co-pilot and held him down. A doctor on the flight gave first aid to the injured Captain Smit at once.
Another pilot travelling as a passenger then took control of the aircraft and diverted it to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz (Tabuk) Airport in Saudi Arabia. After the aircraft landed safely, Saudi security forces boarded immediately and took the attacking Omani co-pilot into custody.
Captain Smit Machhar is being treated at a hospital in Saudi Arabia and his condition is reported to be stable. Leaders around the world, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have praised his bravery and called him "the real hero". Intelligence agencies of the UAE, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the entire matter.
