Flydubai Captain Saves Flight After Co-Pilot Attack
Captain Smit Machchhar prevented a mass-casualty disaster after an Omani co-pilot attacked him during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
An Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked and stabbed Smit Machchhar, the captain of flydubai flight FZ1073, during a trip from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The assault caused the Boeing 737 MAX to plunge 17,000 feet in under two minutes. Despite his injuries, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to enter and subdue the attacker using plastic cuffs and earphone cords.
The aircraft, carrying 174 passengers including 27 children, made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with part of its tail missing. All passengers and crew survived without serious injury. Saudi Arabian authorities initially detained the suspect before handing him over to the United Arab Emirates for further investigation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the attacker had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and appeared suicidal, while Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the event as an attempted jihadist terror attack. U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the co-pilot could be linked to Iran. In response to the incident, Israel scrambled fighter jets and flydubai suspended all flights to and from Israel.
Captain Machchhar is currently recovering in stable condition at a hospital in the United Arab Emirates. He has received praise from the leaders of India and Israel for his bravery in preventing what Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as a potential 9/11-style attack.
