Plunged 14,000 feet in 29 secs: How stabbed Indian pilot averted flydubai crash - The Indian Express

A routine morning flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into a mid-air emergency on Wednesday. The flydubai stabbing, as Israeli officials describe it, saw one pilot allegedly attack the other and apparently try to crash a plane carrying 174 people. The jet made an emergency landing in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia, but not before plunging thousands of feet in less than half a minute.

Flight FZ1073 was nearing Israel when the trouble began. Details of the incident remain foggy, pending an official investigation. However, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted by CBS News as saying that as the plane approached its destination, one pilot stabbed the other and apparently tried to crash the aircraft with everyone on board. The cause of the fight is still unknown.

A Tel Aviv-bound flight lost half its altitude in about a minute, sent emergency codes and diverted to Tabuk after what Israeli officials describe as an attack in the cockpit.

The flight, step by step. Times and altitudes are from Flightradar24 data.

FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, takes off for Tel Aviv with about 170 people on board.

A confrontation breaks out in the cockpit. Israeli officials say the co-pilot stabbed the captain.

Flight-tracking data shows the jet losing about half its altitude in roughly a minute.

The transponder shows 7700, a general emergency, then 7500, unlawful interference.

Fearing a possible hijacking, Israel scrambles fighter jets.

The injured captain opens the cockpit door so others can get in, Israeli PM Netanyahu said.

A passenger and crew members enter the cockpit and overpower the attacker, according to Netanyahu and passengers.

On-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight secure the plane and divert it to Tabuk, the airline says.

The aircraft lands safely. Passengers are safe; both pilots are taken to hospital.

Route is approximate. Cockpit events are based on accounts from Israeli officials, flydubai and passengers; their exact timing has not been made public.

​​​India link: the injured captain, Smit Machchhar, is an Indian national, i24NEWS and Israel Hayom report. He is in a stable condition after surgery in Saudi Arabia, according to i24NEWS.

Based on accounts from Israeli officials and passengers; investigation ongoing. flydubai says the reasons and motives “remain unknown and are subject to a formal investigation”.

Israeli officials later said the incident involved an alleged attack by one pilot on the other. Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and “apparently tried to crash the plane”. The investigation is ongoing.

In passengers’ own words. Their accounts have not been independently verified.

“We are in the middle of a plane hijacking. At the moment, we have subdued the terrorists and we are preparing to land… We need help.”

“A few of us just jumped in and pulled him out of the cockpit. Everything is OK now.”

“Everyone on the plane is safe and well except for the pilot.”

“He called for help, and two others and I entered the cockpit and subdued the terrorist. I’m covered in blood.”

Passengers remained on the plane after it landed in Tabuk.

A heavy Saudi security presence surrounded the plane.

Some reports give the drop as 33,000 ft to 17,000 ft. Flightradar24 data shows 34,000 ft to as low as 16,600 ft.

Sources: flydubai, Flightradar24, Reuters, Newsweek, AeroTime, Euronews, Ynet, i24NEWS, Israel Hayom, Unilad Tech (Flightradar24 data). Map: Natural Earth.

The airline’s own account was brief. Without confirming this version of events, Flydubai said an “altercation” broke out on the flight deck, after which the crew secured the aircraft and diverted to Tabuk.

The flight’s tracking data told a more dramatic story. Flightradar24 logged the plane falling from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet in just 29 seconds, reported NBC News. As per CNBC, Its transponder data showed vertical speeds swinging from roughly 30,000 feet to 10,000 feet per minute.

The aircraft also broadcast two emergency codes: 7700 for a general emergency and 7500 for unlawful interference, usually associated with hijacking. However, Netanyahu said it was unlikely a hijack attempt. Later, another 7700 code was broadcast.

Inside the cabin, passengers believed the end was near. One told NBC News of “screaming, people running, panicking, blood” as the plane dropped.

He studied textile engineering and expected to join his family’s textile business. At 19, an aviation seminar during his management studies at Mumbai’s Welingkar Institute changed his direction.

“Unlike a lot of other aviators right now, aviation was not a childhood dream. It came along much later in my life.”

Machchhar’s actions were credited by Israeli officials with helping prevent a potential catastrophe.

He is admitted to a hospital in Tabuk and receiving treatment, and is stable according to initial reports. The embassy says it is in touch with his family.

“Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO… India is proud of Captain Machchhar.” Modi said his actions “helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy”.

From a textile engineering classroom to a Boeing 737 cockpit, Smit Machchhar’s unexpected aviation journey took a dramatic turn aboard FZ1073.

Sources: Reuters; Indian Embassy in Riyadh; PM Narendra Modi on X; flydubai. Investigation ongoing.

There are multiple reports of a knife being involved, but the details remain unverified. Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter Miriam was aboard the flight, told news agency Reuters that her daughter heard screaming and reported seeing a man with a knife force one of the pilots to the floor.

Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian, sustained serious injuries while fighting back the co-pilot. Despite being stabbed, he managed to unlock the cockpit door. That let passengers and crew overpower the attacker.

CBS News reported that a passenger is credited with fighting off the attacker, and that two off-duty pilots then took the controls. Machchhar is reportedly in stable condition at a hospital in Tabuk. The Ministry of External Affairs said that Machchhar is receiving medical attention and is safe.

Netanyahu also said Saudi authorities have arrested the co-pilot, who remains unnamed. Passengers later continued to Tel Aviv on a replacement aircraft.

Flight-tracking data shows the Tel Aviv-bound jet dropping from 34,000 ft to about 16,600 ft in roughly a minute.

What the data showsCruise at 34,000 ft; the drop starts at 05:21 GMT; a sharp climb and another descent follow; the jet settles around 15,000 ft by 05:33. The 7700 emergency code appears at 05:28 and 7500 at 05:35.

What is not yet knownThe exact altitudes of the climb and second descent have not been published. Israeli officials link the plunge to an alleged attack in the cockpit; flydubai says the investigation is ongoing.

Sources: Flightradar24; Unilad Tech (Flightradar24 data); flydubai; Israeli officials via Reuters. Chart not to scale in time: the minute of the drop is enlarged.

flydubai flight FZ1073 had a total of four pilots on board. According to Jerusalem Post, the additional pilots were present to take over the controls. flydubai was expecting a possible regional rerouting before the flight took off.

This meant that the could journey could be extended and the original crew would have to extend their duty hours. To prevent this, two additional pilots were onboard.

Cockpit doors have been reinforced and locked in flight for years to keep threats out. This case, if the accounts hold, involved a threat already inside. A sealed flight cockpit cannot, on its own, protect a plane from someone with legitimate access.

The sequence also drew a military response. Tabuk’s civilian airport sits beside a Saudi military base, and an official told CBS News that Saudi Arabia, fearing a hijack, had scrambled its own jets as the plane turned toward the kingdom.

Flydubai has described the incident as only an “altercation” and has not publicly stated a motive. Israeli officials have called it an attempted “terror” attack. However, this has not been confirmed.

The investigation is ongoing, and the account of who did what inside the cockpit rests largely on statements from Israeli officials and passengers.

Details may change as investigators examine the flight recorders and question those on board.

The reason for the cockpit fight is also unknown.

The investigation will also have to confirm if a weapon was indeed used in the stabbing. If yes, how was it smuggled on board through the multi-layered security at the origin airport?

Abhishek Chakraborty is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express in Delhi, working at the intersection of digital-first journalism, editorial decision-making, and audience engagement. He is closely involved in shaping and commissioning stories for the digital platform, with a focus on breaking news, explanatory journalism, and sharp, reader-oriented presentation. His work spans editorial planning, real-time news judgment, headline optimisation, and platform strategy, including search and social distribution. He has a strong interest in the evolution of news consumption in the digital ecosystem. He is particularly interested in how national newsrooms adapt to platform-led distribution models, data-informed editorial choices, and the balance between speed, depth, and credibility in digital-first journalism. His core interest areas are business, science, and political news. Education and interest areas: Abhishek holds a postgraduate degree in Political Science and a graduate degree in Journalism. His academic grounding informs his reportage and editing, particularly on politics, governance, and public policy. He is interested in the future of digital journalism, newsroom transformation, and the evolving relationship between technology, platforms, and public discourse. Abhishek hails from Assam's Guwahati and is proficient in English, Bengali, Assamese and Hindi. When not in the newsroom, Abhishek can be found exploring food trails around Delhi and Northeast India. In his leisure, Abhishek likes to go on long drives or bike rides, play cricket and games, and explore historical places. Work experience: Abhishek has over 12 years of experience at The Times of India, The Quint, India Today, ABP Network, and now, at The Indian Express. ... Read More