Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Flydubai Pilots Among Passengers Take Over After Cockpit Attack
A Flydubai plane was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 171 passengers.
The report says one pilot attacked the other during the flight.
Israeli officials said the attacking pilot also tried to crash the plane.
The injured captain opened the cockpit door.
Passengers then stopped the other pilot.
Two reserve pilots who were traveling as passengers entered the cockpit and landed the plane safely.
Pilots traveling this way are normally treated as passengers and cannot interfere with flights.
However, international rules allow a qualified crew member to help during an extreme emergency to save lives.
India’s rules also count this kind of travel as working time for pilots.
A Flydubai flight carrying 171 passengers made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after one pilot allegedly stabbed the other.
Israeli officials said the co-pilot attempted to crash the aircraft after the reported attack.
The injured captain, Smit Machchhar, reportedly opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower the co-pilot.
Reserve pilots traveling as passengers took over and landed the Boeing 737 MAX 8 at Tabuk Regional Airport at 9:45 a.m. local time.
Deadheading, or positioning, pilots are generally treated as passengers, but aviation rules allow flight crew to act in extreme emergencies to preserve life.
- Who
- A Flydubai flight crew, passengers, and two reserve pilots traveling among the passengers were involved; the injured captain was identified as Smit Machchhar.
- What
- A flight made an emergency landing after the report says one pilot stabbed another and attempted to crash the plane, prompting reserve pilots to take over.
- When
- The aircraft landed at 9:45 a.m. local time; the article does not specify the date.
- Where
- The flight was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv and landed at Tabuk Regional Airport in Saudi Arabia.
- Why
- Reserve pilots took over after passengers overpowered the co-pilot; aviation rules permit crew members to act to preserve life in an extreme emergency.
Normal Crew Rules
Emergency Intervention
Can reserve pilots enter the cockpit?
Normal Crew Rules
Deadheading pilots are legally treated as passengers and are generally forbidden from entering the cockpit or interfering with flight operations.
Emergency Intervention
The International Civil Aviation Organization grants overarching authority to any flight crew member to act to preserve life during an extreme emergency.
How should positioning time be counted?
Normal Crew Rules
India’s Director General of Civil Aviation rules require operator-directed positioning time to count as duty hours and may include it in the flight duty period or rest calculation.
Emergency Intervention
The report describes the pilots’ intervention as an emergency takeover, where immediate safety needs outweighed the normal restriction on deadheading crew involvement.
- Airline
- Flydubai
- Flight route
- Dubai to Tel Aviv
- Passengers
- 171
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
- Emergency landing
- Tabuk Regional Airport, Saudi Arabia, at 9:45 a.m. local time
- Pilot travel status
- Deadheading or positioning pilots are generally treated as passengers and their travel time counts toward duty limits
- Indian regulation
- Director General of Civil Aviation rules count operator-directed positioning time as duty hours