Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by a fellow pilot aboard flydubai Flight 1073 while it was cruising from Dubai to Tel Aviv, sending the Boeing 737‑MAX into a steep 14,000‑foot plunge in under 30 seconds.
Despite his injuries, Machchhar forced the cockpit door open, letting a diverse group of passengers and crew—including a dentist, a plumber and two off‑duty pilots—rush in, seize the controls, and wrestle the attacker to the floor.
The assailant, an Omani national, had been seated next to Machchhar and was found atop the captain after the stabbing. Passengers such as Yaniv Hayoun, a plumber from Israel, and Dr Shota Musaev, a dentist from the United States, helped restrain the assailant with headphone cords and plastic zip ties.
With the aircraft stabilized, the crew guided the flight to an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where Machchhar was air‑lifted to a hospital and found to be in stable condition. Indian officials confirmed he was in contact with his family, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed him as a hero and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended his courage. The crew’s actions saved 170 passengers and crew members.
Aviation safety experts, including former United Airlines pilot Steve Arroyo, praised the crew’s rapid response, noting the plane’s structural integrity was surprisingly intact after such a sharp descent.