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Injured Flydubai Captain Reveals Terrifying Moments After Co-Pilot Allegedly Attacked Him Mid-Flight
Captain Smit Machchhar has finally spoken out about the terrifying mid-air ordeal that left him seriously wounded, revealing just how close the situation came to becoming a tragedy.
On Wednesday, September 30, the Boeing 737 departed Dubai International Airport at 6:50 a.m. for Tel Aviv and was cruising at roughly 34,000 feet when an alleged attack unfolded inside the cockpit.
Highlights
- Captain Smit Machchhar has revealed the one thought that pushed him to keep fighting despite his life-threatening injuries.
- The injured pilot recalled sensing the aircraft was plummeting as he struggled to get back on his feet.
- The Flydubai co-pilot allegedly attacked him in an apparent attempt to hijack the plane.
“I was fighting for my life,” the Flydubai captain recalled from his hospital bed, giving a glimpse into the terrifying ordeal.
One commenter wrote, “If the plane had crashed, the whole world would have looked at this hero as a suspect. He is the wounded brave man who saved many lives while he was bleeding.”
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Captain Smit Machchhar has been globally hailed as a hero following a terrifying mid-air cockpit attack
Earlier today, October 2, Machchhar spoke out from his hospital bed in Abu Dhabi during a live-broadcast video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Machchhar said his years of experience as a pilot helped him understand what was happening to the aircraft even while he was seriously injured.
“I have been flying planes for 17 years and serving as a captain for the last 11 years. I can sense exactly what is happening with the aircraft even with my eyes closed. When I was down, I could feel that the aircraft was plummeting,” he told Modi.
One year ago, Captain Smit Machchhar asked a simple question: “When we are up there and if something happens, who’s going to save you?”
He proved his own point when he managed to help prevent the hijack of his flight by his co-pilot who stabbed him.
We are forever grateful for… pic.twitter.com/eN2nmC1gw0
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) October 1, 2026
The captain had reportedly been left badly wounded after his co-pilot allegedly attacked him inside the cockpit of Flydubai Flight FZ1073.
During the struggle, the Boeing 737 reportedly went into a dramatic descent over Saudi Arabia.
In the conversation, Machchhar recalled the moment he realized he could not simply remain on the floor.
The injured captain knew the plane was in trouble as he described making one final push despite suffering life-threatening injuries
“I was fighting for my life. At one point, I realized that if I didn’t get up… then passengers would lose their lives,” he said.
The Indian aviator from Mumbai said he knew he had very little time to act and focused on reaching the cockpit door.
“I told myself: this will be the last push, Smit, do it, the door is right there. I was being a**aulted at that time; I just opened the door, and all the others (passengers) came; all of them too had an equal role,” he recalled.
“I was telling everyone that I was doing it to save my own life, but I also knew that I could not let the others d*e either.”
In another account of the incident, Machchhar explained that he knew opening the door was his only remaining chance.
“I knew for a fact that if I could just give the door one last push, that was the only chance, and even then, I was taking a beating,” he said. “I just managed to open it.”
“I realized that if I didn’t get up… then passengers would lose their lives,” Machchhar recalled
His decision allowed passengers and others on board to enter the cockpit and help restrain the alleged attacker.
Two off-duty pilots traveling as passengers then helped take control of the aircraft, which was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and landed safely.
During the terrifying ordeal, Machchhar said he repeatedly turned to prayer for strength.
“I was constantly reciting the Hanuman Chalisa,” he told the Indian Prime Minister. “Lord Hanuman gave me courage.”
The Hindu devotional hymn is traditionally associated with Lord Hanuman and is often recited as a prayer for strength and courage.
The captain became visibly emotional while recounting the ordeal during the video call.
The captain is recovering in Abu Dhabi as authorities continue investigating the alleged cockpit attack
Modi praised Machchhar’s “courage, patience, and presence of mind,” saying his actions had helped save lives.
The captain’s actions also drew praise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who described the incident to CNN as a “tremendous act of heroism” that prevented another “9/11-type disaster” involving an entire airplane.
Machchhar was initially taken to hospital in Tabuk after the emergency landing, then transferred to Abu Dhabi for further treatment and recovery.
He is now reported to be in stable condition and has been able to speak publicly about the incident from his hospital bed.
Meanwhile, the alleged attacker was taken into custody and transferred to the UAE under heavy security after receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia.
Authorities have not publicly released the co-pilot’s identity, and they have not established a final motive for the alleged attack.
The incident has raised new questions about cockpit security and crew screening as authorities continue examining what happened aboard the flight.
“He is a brave pilot. He just saved every life on that plane. Thoughts and prayers for a full recovery,” one netizen wrote
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Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 16 minutes ago
If "God was piloting the entire situation," why did s/he allow this to happen? Religious people never seem to go for the right questions. The pilot was Hindu, the assailant was Muslim, and the rest of the people involved were a mishmash of different religions. Which deity is going to be given credit for this? Or rather, if we are giving credit to deities for interfering in day-to-day situations like these like they did with Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, which deity is going to be given the blame for this?
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 16 minutes ago
If "God was piloting the entire situation," why did s/he allow this to happen? Religious people never seem to go for the right questions. The pilot was Hindu, the assailant was Muslim, and the rest of the people involved were a mishmash of different religions. Which deity is going to be given credit for this? Or rather, if we are giving credit to deities for interfering in day-to-day situations like these like they did with Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, which deity is going to be given the blame for this?
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