Flydubai co-pilot attacks captain; passengers subdue hijacker, plane lands safely

Flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 174 mostly Israeli passengers, departed Dubai on September 30, 2026, bound for Tel Aviv. While cruising near Jordanian and Saudi airspace, the Omani first officer allegedly attacked the captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, with a knife, inflicting severe wounds to his head and nearly severing his hand.

The struggle caused the aircraft to enter a steep descent, losing roughly 14,000 feet in about 30 seconds and triggering the hijack transponder code 7500. Despite his injuries, the captain managed to unlock the reinforced cockpit door, allowing crew members and passengers — including two off-duty Flydubai pilots — to enter and subdue the attacker using headphone cables.

“If he hadn't managed it, all lives on the aircraft would have been lost.”

Passengers pulled the control column back to stabilize the plane while a doctor on board, Dr. Shota Musayev, provided first aid to the bleeding captain. The aircraft diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the passengers as heroes and labeled the incident an attempted hijacking by a "radical Islamist" on a suicide mission.

U.S. and Israeli officials quickly pointed to Iranian involvement, a claim the United Arab Emirates criticized as premature. Aviation security expert Philip Baum highlighted a critical paradox: the reinforced cockpit door, designed to keep threats out, nearly prevented the rescue when the threat was already inside. Investigations are ongoing to determine the attacker's motive.