The heroic pilot who fought off his co-pilot as they allegedly tried to hijack a FlyDubai flight and crash the aircraft has been named. Indian national Smit Machchhar, who has clocked nearly 10,000 hours in the air, was stabbed by his first officer as he tried to take control of flight FZ1073 from the UAE and bound for Tel Aviv, Israel. The aircraft then plunged 18,000 feet.
The veteran pilot has been credited for averting a possible terror attack, according to Indian and Israeli outlets. Mr Machchhar reportedly alerted the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane’s crew and passengers, who managed to intervene. He was stabbed several times in the attack, officials said, and was rushed to the hospital after the plane was delivered to Saudi Arabia. Some of the passengers onboard also filmed horrific footage of one of the pilots covered in blood.
The flight from Dubai, carrying more than 150 people, transmitted an emergency code indicating a possible unlawful disruption, prompting fears of a hijacking. Israeli and Saudi fighter jets were reportedly scrambled and high-profile figures in the Israeli cabinet, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, were informed.
“One pilot stabbed the other and tried to do 9/11,” an official told Channel 12. The airline confirmed “the aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty Flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely”.
A spokesperson said: “An altercation occurred in the flight deck of flight FZ 1073, operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV), on 30 September.
“The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely at Tabuk Airport (TUU). All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for.
“We have deployed two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to relieve the passengers and crew. This incident has no impact on other scheduled operations across the flydubai network,” the spokesperson added. “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.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the pilot accused of carrying out the attack on board the flight has been arrested and is being questioned in Saudi Arabia.