4 hrs ago
Indian Pilot Fights Cockpit Attack, Saves flydubai Passengers
A flydubai plane was flying from Dubai to Israel when a fight began inside the cockpit.
The article says one pilot allegedly attacked the other and tried to interfere with the airplane’s controls.
Captain Smit Machchhar was reportedly stabbed while resisting the attack.
A crew member and a passenger entered the cockpit and helped stop the suspected attacker.
The plane quickly lost a lot of altitude during the struggle.
The aircraft was then stabilised, and all passengers were reported safe.
Machchhar had been a commercial pilot for more than 13 years.
He had once said that flying was not his childhood dream but became his career after attending an aviation seminar.
Captain Smit Machchhar allegedly fought off a co-pilot who tried to sabotage flydubai Flight FZ1073.
The flight was traveling from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport with as many as 180 passengers.
Machchhar was reportedly stabbed during the cockpit struggle, while a crew member and passenger subdued the suspect.
The aircraft dropped more than 17,400 feet in two minutes before the flight was stabilised, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Machchhar has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience and over 9,750 hours on Boeing 737 aircraft.
- Who
- Captain Smit Machchhar, another pilot, a crew member, a passenger, and the passengers aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073.
- What
- A cockpit fight allegedly involving an attempted sabotage of the aircraft occurred during the flight.
- Where
- A flight from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel.
- When
- Wednesday; the podcast comments about Machchhar’s career were recorded almost a year before the incident.
- Why
- According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one pilot allegedly tried to sabotage the plane and crash it.
Key facts
- Flight
- flydubai Flight FZ1073
- Route
- Dubai to Tel Aviv
- Aircraft movement
- The aircraft dropped more than 17,400 feet in two minutes during the struggle.
- Passengers
- All passengers were reported safe; the incident may have involved as many as 180 people aboard.
- Pilot experience
- Machchhar has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience and over 9,750 hours.
- Previous employers
- He joined SpiceJet in 2011 and flydubai in June 2022.
- Suspect status
- The suspect was arrested and questioned by Saudi authorities.
Quotes
Captain Smit Machchhar
Indian commercial pilot and flydubai captain profiled in the article
“First of all, unlike a lot of other aviators right now, aviation was not like a childhood dream.”
NDTV
Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister of Israel commenting on the reported cockpit incident
“During the flight, as the aircraft was approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and attempted to crash the plane with everyone on board.”
NDTV
Sources
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