The incident unfolded in the cockpit of a 737‑800 on a flydubai service from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Witnesses say the co‑pilot, who had been instructed to override the aircraft’s flight‑control software, grabbed a knife and attacked Captain Smit Machchhar. The captain, who has 9,750 hours of experience, managed to subdue the attacker before the plane could lose control.
Machchhar, 41, began his career after a stint in textile engineering and a management course, but was lured into aviation by a seminar in 2005. He trained in New Zealand for 16 lakh rupees and logged 13 years on the Boeing 737 family before joining flydubai in 2022.
The flight carried 180 passengers, including a family from Mumbai whose mother was in labor, and was scheduled to arrive in Tel Aviv at 10:15 local time. The co‑pilot’s attempt to sabotage the plane’s systems reportedly involved tampering with the autopilot—an act that could have caused a catastrophic loss of control.
Dubai Civil Aviation Authority opened a criminal investigation on Thursday and has detained the co‑pilot. The airline has issued a statement that the captain’s quick action prevented a potential disaster and is cooperating fully with the inquiry.
Passengers recalled a tense silence in the cabin while the cockpit door remained closed. A 12‑year‑old girl in the front row shouted, "It’s safe now," after hearing the captain’s voice on the intercom. The incident has prompted calls from passenger advocacy groups for stricter cockpit access controls.