The Boeing 737‑MAX plummeted roughly 17,000 feet in a minute, sending 174 passengers—166 Israeli nationals—into a frantic scramble for survival.
When the co‑pilot struck Machchhar, the captain, blood spattering the floor, managed to pry the cockpit door open. Passengers and crew surged in, overpowered the assailant and seized control of the aircraft, while a second pair of flydubai pilots guided the jet to a safe landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the episode as an attempted terrorist attack but praised Machchhar as a true hero. Flydubai confirmed all passengers survived, and the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia reported the pilot was stable in a Tabuk hospital.
The Gujarat government announced the captain will receive the Visisht Gujarat Garima Award for his bravery. He is currently being air‑lifted from Tabuk to Dubai for further medical care, with authorities coordinating his safe transfer.