A teacher from Gurukul School of Art paints a portrait honouring Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot with FlyDubai, in Mumbai, India. File
| Photo Credit: AP
A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv narrowly avoided disaster after one of its pilots allegedly tried to stab his colleague, Indian national Smit Machchhar, sending the aircraft into a steep plunge before it made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The sequence of events was outlined in a video message by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the pilot had intended to crash the aircraft.
A co-pilot of a flydubai aircraft carrying more than 170 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv allegedly stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the plane. The struggle began when the pilot was stabbed, sending the aircraft plunging nearly 14,000 feet. A possible crash was averted after a passenger and crew members entered the cockpit and managed to stabilise the aircraft.
The jet had plunged more than 14,000 feet (4,300 metres) in less than 30 seconds, reportedly reaching close to the speed of sound. The intervention by the passengers and crew likely helped avert a disaster.
Follow complete coverage of the incident from The Hindu
Published – October 02, 2026 12:24 pm IST
