Indian pilot fights off co-pilot in cockpit attack on Tel Aviv flight

Summarised from 15 outlets · 34 reports · Updated 2 Oct, 20:31 · Archive

Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot on a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv but managed to open the cockpit door.

Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot, was attacked and stabbed by his co-pilot aboard a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot allegedly attempted to take control of the aircraft and crash it, causing the plane to enter a steep descent. The aircraft plunged more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.

Despite being severely wounded, Machchhar fought back against his attacker. Although he collapsed, he summoned the strength to open the cockpit door. This action allowed passengers to enter the cockpit and overpower the co-pilot. The flight made an emergency landing.

Machchhar is recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital with stab wounds and other injuries from the attack. He has been widely described as having nearly 10,000 hours of flying experience.

In a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi broadcast on television news channels, Machchhar spoke about the attack from his hospital bed, where he appeared bandaged on his head and hands. He described the moment as 'fighting for my life' and said he realised that if he did not get up, 'passengers would lose their lives'. He told Modi: 'I could not let all those people die', and described making 'one last push' to unlock the cockpit door.

The flight carried approximately 170 to 173 passengers, depending on the outlet. Modi said Machchhar had shown 'the highest form of courage'. One passenger who was among those who helped overpower the co-pilot, identified by one outlet as a dentist, reportedly said the co-pilot begged them to 'kill' him after being pinned down, though this detail appears in only one source.

How it is being reported

• Hero FlyDubai pilot says he was 'fighting for my life' as plane plunged after copilot attackCapt. Smit Machchhar told PM Narenda Modi he felt the FlyDubai plane plunging as he lay wounded and made one last push to open the cockpit door.Fox News · 2 Oct, 14:52
• FlyDubai captain shares how "one last push" kept the plane in the air after he was stabbedThe captain of a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about what happened after his co-pilot allegedly stabbed him midair.CBS News · 2 Oct, 14:37
• Hero pilot describes FlyDubai stabbing and fight for survivalFlight captain Smit Machchha spoke to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video call about the FlyDubai mid-flight stabbing, where he was injured by another pilot while the plane carried 173 other people in the skies. CBS News' Imtiaz Tyab reports.CBS News · 2 Oct, 13:42
• FlyDubai pilot describes opening cockpit door during attackThe Indian pilot who was stabbed by his co-pilot on a Flydubai flight to Israel describes the attack.Al Jazeera · 2 Oct, 12:23
• FlyDubai pilot tells his survival story in emotional call with Indian leaderThe FlyDubai captain attacked by his co-pilot tells his harrowing survival story to India's leader in an emotional video call from his hospital bed.CBS News · 2 Oct, 11:57
• FlyDubai 'hijack' jet's stabbed captain reveals how he summoned strength to save othersHeavily-bandaged Smit Machchhar, 39, revealed he made "one last push" to unlock the flight deck so brave passengers could storm the cockpit and foil the "terror attack"The Mirror · 2 Oct, 11:37
• Hero FlyDubai pilot breaks silence after saving 170 lives with 'one last push'Captain Smit Machchhar says he fought to open the cockpit door of FlyDubai flight FZ1073 despite being stabbed because he knew the lives of 170 passengers depended on itThe Mirror · 2 Oct, 10:31
• Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar opened cockpit door while being attacked by co-pilot during attempted hijackingThe Indian pilot stabbed by his co-pilot on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv replayed the dramatic attack in a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.New York Post · 2 Oct, 10:15
• ‘I couldn’t let them die,' says hero Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar after mid-air attack terrorSmit Machchhar recalls the moment he was attacked by his co-pilot as he fought to avert disasterEvening Standard · 2 Oct, 10:13
• Flydubai hero pilot tells Modi 'I could not let all those people die'Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain who was attacked by his co-pilot onboard the Flydubai flight 1073 in an apparent attempt to crash the plane, on Friday told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that although he was severely injured in the altercation, “I could not let all those people die”. Although collapsed, he made a last-ditch effort and managed to push the door to the cockpit open.France 24 · 2 Oct, 10:04
• Watch: Emotional pilot recounts moment of Flydubai attackHe has been hailed a hero for opening the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower his co-pilot.BBC News · 2 Oct, 09:46
• Indian pilot hero tells of FlyDubai cockpit horror attack: 'I had so many wounds'The flight plunged more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 secondsIndependent World · 2 Oct, 09:39
• ‘I was fighting for my life’: Indian pilot hailed as hero recalls flydubai cockpit attackSmit Machchhar says in video call with Indian PM that he realised if he did not get up then ‘passengers would lose their lives’ The Indian pilot who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a flydubai flight has described how he fought for his life in the minutes after his co-pilot stabbed him and the plane began a steep descent. Capt Smit Machchhar, who is recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, told the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, in a video call broadcast live on television news channels that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save the passengers onboard the aircraft.…The Guardian · 2 Oct, 09:39
• Flydubai pilot ‘opened cockpit door to let passengers come in to stop plunge’To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page The hero Indian pilot who was attacked on the Israel-bound Flydubai plane has spoken for the first time. Capt Smit Machchhar has been praised for saving…Metro · 2 Oct, 09:21
• 'I couldn't let everyone else die': Hero flydubai pilot reveals battle to open cockpit door while being stabbed by 'hijacker' as packed jet plummetedmit Machchhar, seen with a tube in his nose and bandages on his head and hands, spoke to Indian PM Narendra Modi from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi.Daily Mail · 2 Oct, 09:18
• 'I was fighting for my life': FlyDubai captain recalls cockpit attackStill recovering in hospital, the pilot who helped prevent a tragedy on a FlyDubai flight has spoken publicly about the moment he fought to regain control of the cockpit. Capt. Smit Machchhar says he was “fighting for his life” but knew he had to get back up as the aircraft began its steep descent.Euronews · 2 Oct, 08:50
• I opened cockpit door of plane while being attacked, says pilot of Israel-Dubai flightCapt Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed on the Israel-bound flight, has been hailed as a hero.BBC News · 2 Oct, 08:20
• Hero dentist who helped stop FlyDubai terror attack reveals co-pilot begged him 'kill me'One of the heroes on board the horror FlyDubai flight hijacked by co-pilot said the extremist knifeman begged them to 'kill' him after he was pinned downThe Mirror · 2 Oct, 06:17
• New video shows FlyDubai pilot hurt, asking for helpNew video of the FlyDubai on-board stabbing shows Capt. Smit Machchhar, the pilot hailed as a hero, unlocking the cockpit door and asking for help. This allowed a small group of passengers to push in, pull up on the controls and then subdue the attacker with cords from a headset. Imtiaz Tyab reports.CBS News · 2 Oct, 00:34
• Who is Capt. Smit, Machchhar, the pilot of the Flydubai flight?Captain Smit Machchhar from India is recovering from stab wounds he suffered in a Flydubai flight altercation.Al Jazeera · 1 Oct, 20:54
• FlyDubai pilot showed world 'the highest form of courage,' India's PM saysIndia Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is saluting Smit Machchhar for his heroics onboard a FlyDubai plane that made an emergency landing.Fox News · 1 Oct, 16:52
• Hero pilot who fought off ‘terrorist’ on flydubai flight identified as Indian nationalThe pilot who was stabbed by his “terrorist” co-pilot as he tried to take control of a flydubai flight bound for Israel has been identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar. Machchhar, who has nearly 10,000 hours in the air, was credited as averting a possible terror attack on Tuesday, according to Indian and Israeli outlets....New York Post · 1 Oct, 15:03
• 'He's taught us courage': Friend on Indian pilot hailed as a heroCapt Smit Machchhar was attacked by another pilot onboard the Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv.BBC News · 1 Oct, 13:43
• Indian pilot hailed as ‘hero’ after cockpit struggleSmit Machchhar fought to retain control of a flight headed for Tel Aviv when his co-pilot allegedly attacked him.The Japan Times · 1 Oct, 10:14
• Who is Smit Machchhar? The hero Flydubai pilot who helped avert 'Israel's 9/11'Captain Smit Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door after being stabbed by his co-pilot on the Tel Aviv-bound flightEvening Standard · 1 Oct, 09:01
• Hero FlyDubai pilot who 'opened cockpit to save lives' issued haunting warning months agoRemarks made by FlyDubai pilot Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed on Israel-bound flight FZ1073 on Wednesday, almost a year before the incident have resurfacedThe Mirror · 1 Oct, 08:30
• Who is the 'hero' Indian pilot who was stabbed on Israel-bound flight?Capt Smit Machchhar was attacked by another pilot onboard the Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv.BBC News · 1 Oct, 07:01
• Indian Flydubai pilot praised after disaster avertedCaptain Smit Machchhar fought off attack by co-pilot with help from crew and passengersFinancial Times · 1 Oct, 06:01
• A ‘hero’ pilot, plumber and dentist among those who saved flydubai flight to IsraelSwift actions of attacked pilot Smit Machchhar allowed passengers and other off-duty pilots to assist in subduing co-pilot and allowing plane to land safely Smit Machchhar was lying on the floor of the flydubai flight deck, covered with blood, when he managed to click the release to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to gain entry, overpower his attacker and save 174 passengers on board. Moments earlier, Machchhar’s fellow pilot had stabbed him , in an apparent effort to crash the plane which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Machchhar, an Indian citizen from Mumbai, is…The Guardian · 1 Oct, 03:56
• Netanyahu names ‘true hero’ Indian pilot who opened cockpit door after being stabbed on flight to IsraelIsrael said Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed repeatedly while trying to stop the deadly crashIndependent World · 30 Sept, 22:21
• Netanyahu names ‘true hero’ Indian pilot who opened cockpit door after being stabbed on flight to IsraelCaptain Smit Machchhar has been identified after he was stabbed repeatedly while trying to stop the deadly crashIndependent World · 30 Sept, 22:14
• Netanyahu praises stabbed Indian pilot for saving lives on Flydubai flightThe Israeli prime minister thanks 'true hero' Captain Smit Machchhar for 'extraordinary bravery'.Al Jazeera · 30 Sept, 20:49
• 'British hero' pulled Flydubai hijack jet out of 'death plunge' after 'jihadist' pilot stabbed fellow crewman and tried to crash planeThe victim, now named as captain Smit Machchhar (pictured), was hailed for saving the lives of those 180 passengers on board.Daily Mail · 30 Sept, 19:18
• Pilot of flydubai plane who fought off ‘terrorist’ first officer on Israel-bound flight ID’d as Indian nationalThe pilot who was stabbed by his “terrorist” co-pilot as he tried to take control of a flydubai flight bound for Israel has been identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar.New York Post · 30 Sept, 16:32

In this story: Smit Machchhar · Narendra Modi · Flydubai · Dubai · Tel Aviv · Abu Dhabi · India

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log