Pilot Smit Machchhar, who saved passengers after he was stabbed by his colleague in an alleged attempt to crash a flydubai plane on September 30, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Israel Foreign Ministry via Reuters

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv narrowly avoided disaster after one of its pilots allegedly tried to stab his colleague, 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.

What happened in the cockpit?

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. “They prevented a huge disaster,” Mr. Netanyahu said at a briefing on Wednesday (September 30, 2026).

Emergency landing in Saudi Arabia

The flight later made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot, whose identity has not been disclosed, was taken into custody and questioned by local authorities.

According to flight-tracking website Flightradar, Flight FZ1073 first transmitted the general emergency code 7700 before switching to 7500, a code indicating unlawful interference and a possible hijacking. The aircraft later switched back to 7700, the service said.

More than 10 hours later, the passengers arrived at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport aboard a replacement flydubai aircraft.

Leaders hail Indian pilot

The pilot who was stabbed was identified as an Indian national, Smit Machchhar, according to a post on X by Mr. Netanyahu.

“My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery,” Mr. Netanyahu wrote. “Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker, preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster,” he further said.

The Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Indian Consulate in Jeddah have been monitoring Mr. Machchhar’s health condition.

Meanwhile, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Captain Machchhar as a “hero” for fighting off the co-pilot, who allegedly attempted to crash the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight. He said the country was proud of the pilot’s courage in helping save hundreds of lives and averting a major tragedy.

U.S. President Donald Trump also hailed the flydubai pilot as a “hero” for fighting off the knife attack, opening the cockpit door and calling for help, which helped thwart the alleged attempt to crash the aircraft.

“It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot,” the U.S. President said.

Terror attack?

The incident comes weeks before Mr. Netanyahu faces re-election, with security emerging as a key issue for Israel’s population of around 10 million.

Mr. Netanyahu said almost all the passengers aboard the flight were Israelis and that those who intervened “displayed exceptional resourcefulness and courage”. “They saved many lives,” he said.

Mr. Netanyahu alleged that the co-pilot had been attempting to crash the aircraft and kill those on board. Israel’s Foreign Ministry described the incident as “an attempted terrorist attack” aimed at damaging the country’s relationship with one of its key West Asian partners.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the incident aboard the aircraft “was a jihadist terrorist attack attempt, which was thwarted only thanks to the bravery of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit and overpowered the terrorist”.

Flydubai suspends flights to Israel

The airline said the reasons and motive behind the incident remained unknown and were subject to a formal investigation.

“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts,” the airline said in a statement.

A repatriation flight sent to bring back the passengers later landed in Tel Aviv.

Flydubai subsequently said its flights to and from Israel would remain suspended while the incident was investigated.

The airline said it was cooperating with the relevant authorities and that all passengers were safe.

Black box investigation

The co-pilot accused of carrying out the stabbing was arrested and was being questioned by Saudi authorities.

The investigation is expected to examine the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, commonly known as black boxes. The two devices record cockpit conversations and key flight parameters, which can help investigators reconstruct the sequence of events and determine the circumstances surrounding an aviation incident.

Cockpit video footage, if available, could provide a clearer picture of what happened. Commercial aircraft are equipped with audio and flight data recorders that capture pilots’ communications and information relating to aircraft systems and controls. However, there is no comparable general requirement for cockpit image recorders.

Published – October 01, 2026 10:26 am IST