The Indian airline captain who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday that he fought through severe stab wounds to open the cockpit door as the Boeing 737 plunged toward the ground, the Associated Press reported on October 2, 2026. Capt. Smit Machchhar, speaking from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi in a nearly ten-minute video call released by Modi's office, broke down as he recounted the Wednesday attack that left him seriously injured and the plane diverting to Saudi Arabia.
Table of Contents
- The Attack at 30,000 Feet
- A Captain's Fight Back
- Passengers Storm the Cockpit
- Who the Attacker Was
- Questions of Motive and Security
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
- Read Next on Chronicle
The Attack at 30,000 Feet
The drama began on Wednesday, September 30, aboard the Dubai–Tel Aviv service carrying more than 170 people, most of them Israeli nationals. Mid-flight, over Saudi airspace, the co-pilot attacked the captain with a knife inside the cockpit. What happened next sent the aircraft into a terrifying descent: flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the jet plunging some 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds as it flew over Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.
"I knew that the aircraft was going down … I had fallen to the ground. I told myself that the door is right there, just open it. I managed to do it and people entered," Machchhar told Modi, a tube in his nose and bandages on his head and hands.
The flight was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing. A regional official said a second pair of flydubai pilots who happened to be aboard — pilots in training — took the controls and brought the plane down safely.
A Captain's Fight Back
Machchhar, who grew up in Mumbai and joined flydubai in 2022 after a career with Indian carrier SpiceJet, has more than 9,750 flying hours, including over 6,400 as pilot-in-command, according to his LinkedIn profile. His former employer called him a hero who saved "countless lives."
In Friday's call, Machchhar described a split-second realization on the cockpit floor: "I had so many wounds. I had fallen down. I was fighting for my life. At one point, I realized that if I didn't get up … then passengers would lose their lives."
Even as the attacker kept coming, Machchhar dragged himself to the cockpit door and forced it open — an act Israeli officials later credited with giving passengers their chance. "I have been flying for the last 17 years, have been a captain for the last 11 years. I knew that the aircraft was going down," he said. Modi praised his "courage, patience, and presence of mind," telling him it had saved lives and defended the reputation of Indian pilots. An emotional Machchhar said he had recited a Hindu prayer to the god Hanuman during the ordeal, and that his native Gujarat is Modi's home state.
Passengers Storm the Cockpit
Among those who rushed through the opened door was Yaniv Hayun, a 50-year-old Israeli passenger traveling with his wife and two daughters. Hayun said a woman's scream of "stabbing" and a sudden shudder of the plane told him what was happening. He grabbed the co-pilot in a chokehold, dragged him out of the cockpit, and then returned to pull up the jet's unmanned steering control to arrest the dive — a move he said he learned from television.
"I watch Air Crash Investigation, Mr Prime Minister," Hayun told Benjamin Netanyahu when the two met at Ben Gurion Airport, in video distributed by the prime minister's office, as Reuters reported. Netanyahu described Machchhar as "a true hero" and met the passengers at the airport after they were flown home from Saudi Arabia.
Who the Attacker Was
The co-pilot, whose full identity has not been publicly disclosed beyond his nationality, is an Omani national now in Saudi custody undergoing interrogation. Netanyahu said on Thursday that the man had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and was "clearly suicidal," but stressed that a motive for the attack had not been established.
Israel does not have official diplomatic relations with Oman, and Netanyahu noted that pilots from such countries were not permitted to operate flights to Israel — raising questions about how the co-pilot came to be assigned to the Tel Aviv route at all. The UAE state news agency reported Thursday that Emirati authorities had opened an investigation into the circumstances and motive, examining "whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose, or involved prior planning or direction."
Questions of Motive and Security
The incident has heightened security fears in Israel just weeks before the country votes on October 27 in its first general election since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023. It also lands in a region already on edge: the United States has moved a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East amid renewed tension with Iran — read our coverage of that military buildup.
Netanyahu warned in a video statement on Friday that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot acted under anyone's direction, and that whoever was involved would pay "a heavy price." Israeli officials were expected to question the co-pilot, a source told Reuters on Friday. For the aviation industry, the attack — allegedly by a crew member, inside the cockpit, on a flight popular with Israeli travelers — is among the rarest and most alarming categories of security incident.
Key Takeaways
- Capt. Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot on a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026; the jet plunged more than 16,000 feet in about 30 seconds.
- Despite severe wounds, Machchhar forced open the cockpit door, letting passengers storm in and subdue the attacker; a second flydubai crew aboard landed the plane safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- In an emotional Friday video call with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Machchhar said: "I was fighting for my life. If I didn't get up … then passengers would lose their lives."
- The attacker, an Omani national, is in Saudi custody; Israel and the UAE are investigating whether the act was terrorism or involved prior planning.
- Netanyahu hailed Machchhar as "a true hero," while questioning how a pilot from Oman — a country with no diplomatic ties to Israel — was assigned to a Tel Aviv flight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the hero pilot of the FlyDubai flight?
Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian national from Mumbai, is the captain who was stabbed by his co-pilot on the September 30 FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv. He has over 9,750 flying hours and previously flew for SpiceJet before joining flydubai in 2022.
What happened on the FlyDubai flight?
The co-pilot stabbed the captain inside the cockpit over Saudi Arabia, and the Boeing 737 plunged sharply. Despite his wounds, Machchhar opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers — including Yaniv Hayun, who subdued the attacker and steadied the controls — to intervene. The jet landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
What is known about the co-pilot?
Only his nationality has been disclosed: he is Omani. He is in Saudi custody and under interrogation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he appeared to have undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and was "clearly suicidal," but no motive has been established.
Is terrorism suspected?
Israeli and Emirati authorities are investigating whether the incident was linked to terrorism or involved prior planning or direction. No definitive determination has been made yet.
Why is the timing significant?
The attack comes weeks before Israel's October 27 general election — the first since the October 7, 2023 attacks — with security dominating the campaign, and amid heightened regional tensions including a US carrier deployment toward Iran.
Sources
- Associated Press (via Military.com) — "'I Was Fighting for My Life': Indian Pilot Hailed as Hero Recalls FlyDubai Cockpit Attack," October 2, 2026.
- Reuters — "Indian pilot tells PM Modi he opened flydubai cockpit door during attack," October 2, 2026.
- Reuters — "Israeli officials to question co-pilot of flydubai flight, source says," October 2, 2026.
- Reuters — "Israeli passenger says he knew what to do on flydubai plane after watching TV show," October 1, 2026.
