On September 30, 2026, an Omani co‑pilot named Arif al‑Khalid brandished a crash axe inside the cockpit of a Boeing 737‑800 bound for Tel Aviv, striking Captain Smit Machchhar on the back of his skull and leaving a deep gash that shattered his vision.
The captain, drawing on 17 years of flight experience, fought to force the cockpit door open despite the severe pain, allowing cabin crew and passengers to restrain the assailant before the aircraft began an uncontrolled descent.
The crew’s rapid intervention and the captain’s heroic act diverted the flight to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the aircraft landed safely and no other injuries were reported among the 182 passengers on board.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the captain from his hospital bed, commending his courage, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with him in the airport; the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi confirmed that Machchhar remains under continuous medical care in the capital.
The Omani co‑pilot is currently held in Saudi custody pending a full investigation, and aviation authorities are reviewing cockpit security protocols to prevent a recurrence of such attacks.