The 38‑year‑old captain of flydubai’s FZ1073 was struck on the head by a crash axe wielded by his Omani co‑pilot, Hamad Al‑Hammami, while the aircraft was 18,000 feet above the sea two and a half hours into its Dubai‑Tel Aviv run. The assault forced the crew to break the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew to restrain the attacker and stabilize the plane before it descended to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk.
Machchhar’s skull suffered a depressed fracture and he sustained wounds to his limbs, chest and upper abdomen. He was taken to a Saudi military hospital where surgeons performed emergency reconstruction of the damaged bone. After the operation he was transferred by helicopter to Abu Dhabi’s Military Hospital for further monitoring.
During a video call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the captain recounted how he was lying on the floor, injured, yet forced to push for the door to open. He told the leader that his priority was to prevent the passengers from dying even as he battled for his own life.
Flydubai has grounded the flight and is cooperating with Saudi and Omani authorities on an investigation into the co‑pilot’s motive. The incident has prompted a review of cockpit security protocols for all airlines operating in the region.