Flydubai pilot stabbed in cockpit is Indian, flew with SpiceJet for 11 years before joining Dubai airline - The Indian Express

The pilot who was stabbed by his co-pilot on Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday was Indian national Smit Machchhar, who earlier worked with SpiceJet, according to people in the know. According to some Israeli news outlets, who didn’t name the pilot and the co-pilot, the latter — identified as an Omani national — attacked and stabbed the Indian captain in what is being reported as a bid to take over the aircraft’s controls and crash it.

The Indian pilot is being credited with helping save the aircraft, which landed safely in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk following the cockpit altercation. He was taken to a hospital in Saudi Arabia after the aircraft landed; the condition of his health could not be immediately ascertained. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Saudi Arabia had arrested the co-pilot who apparently tried to crash the plane which had a number of Israeli nationals on board, AP reported.

While details about the altercation and the sequence of events remained sketchy, some Israeli news outlets reported that the pilot fought back the co-pilot to prevent the aircraft from crashing, with the crew and some passengers then helping in subduing the co-pilot.

A Dubai–Tel Aviv flight sent emergency and hijack-alert codes near Jordan, turned back and landed in Saudi Arabia. Here is what is known.

Dubai to Tabuk instead of Tel Aviv. Times are from Flightradar24 tracking data.

Flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, takes off for Tel Aviv. Ynet put the number of passengers at 174.

Flightradar24 data shows the jet leaving its 34,000 ft cruise in a steep descent, a sharp climb and another descent, settling around 15,000 ft by 05:33 GMT.

The transponder switches to 7700: general emergency.

The code changes to 7500: unlawful interference, the signal for a possible hijacking.

The jet turns west, briefly enters Jordanian airspace, then makes a 180-degree turn towards Tabuk. It returns to 7700.

Israel scrambles fighter jets amid fears of a hijacking. PM Netanyahu holds an urgent security meeting.

The aircraft lands safely at Tabuk, shortly before 10 am Israel time.

flydubai says everyone on board is safe and accounted for, and that its teams are working with the relevant authorities.

Route is approximate. The dashed line shows the rest of the planned route to Tel Aviv. Israel time is GMT+3.

Israeli security officials, cited by Israeli media, said the emergency stemmed from a physical altercation between the pilots. The Prime Minister’s Office said the diversion was “not believed to be a hijacking incident”, Reuters reported.

A squawk is a four-digit code a pilot enters into the aircraft’s transponder so it shows up on air traffic control screens. Three codes are reserved for emergencies:

Inside the flydubai cockpit: what is confirmed, what is not?

Some Israeli outlets now describe a far more serious scenario. Officials quoted by international media describe a pilot altercation that is still under investigation. flydubai has not publicly explained the cause.

Sources: flydubai, Flightradar24, Reuters, CBS News, Ynet, The Times of Israel. Map: Natural Earth.

“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,” a Flydubai spokesperson said.

“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 spokesperson added.

The Boeing 737 jet, with 174 passengers on board, sounded emergency alerts before landing at the Tabuk airport. Before that, it rapidly lost altitude, which likely happened during the altercation in the cockpit. It is not clear yet what weapon was used in the attack, and how did the attacker manage to bring it on board.

Netanyahu said passengers and crew members on the flight managed to subdue the attacker, preventing a major disaster. “I salute these heroes who showed exceptional resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster,” said Netanyahu in his Wednesday statement, according to the AP report.

Machchhar joined Flydubai in June 2022 as a captain, after serving with SpiceJet for 11 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He started his flying career with SpiceJet in June 2011, and was a senior commander and line training captain with the Indian airline in Mumbai before moving to Flydubai, an Emirati government-owned airline. With Flydubai, he is based out of Dubai. Machchhar’s LinkedIn profile lists his flying experience at 9,750 hours.

“Airline Captain with over 13 years of commercial flying experience on the Boeing 737 fleet, including extensive time as a Line Training Captain. Skilled in mentoring and assessing pilots, with a strong focus on safety, compliance, and operational excellence. Currently a Direct Entry Captain at Flydubai, seeking to contribute further to the training team,” his profile reads.

Sukalp Sharma is a Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 16 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More