Who is Smit Machchhar, Indian pilot hailed as hero after flydubai attack?

Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar is being hailed as a hero after he fought off his co-pilot during a mid-air confrontation on a flydubai flight that went into a sharp descent before landing safely in Saudi Arabia.

Machchhar was the captain of flydubai Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, when a fight broke out in the cockpit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that one of the pilots stabbed the other and allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft.

Machchhar was seriously injured in the confrontation. Despite his injuries, he resisted the attacker and helped enable passengers and crew to enter the cockpit and overpower him, according to Netanyahu.

The flight, carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, was eventually diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia and landed safely.

Machchhar has been working as a commercial pilot for more than 13 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Before joining flydubai, Machchhar worked with SpiceJet for around 11 years. He joined the airline in 2011 and remained there until June 2022. During his time at SpiceJet, Machchhar served in multiple flying roles, including as Senior Commander and Line Training Captain.

Machchhar served as a Line Training Captain at SpiceJet from November 2020 until June 2022. He joined flydubai in the same month as a direct-entry captain, meaning he entered the airline at captain rank rather than progressing through its internal pilot ranks.

He has spent the past four years flying flydubai’s Boeing 737 fleet and is based in Dubai. His brother had also recently joined flydubai.

Machchhar was flying Flight FZ1073 from Dubai International Airport to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday when a fight broke out between the two pilots.

The aircraft was cruising at around 34,000 feet when the incident unfolded.

The flight transmitted emergency signals, including one indicating possible unlawful interference. During the confrontation, the aircraft began losing altitude sharply.

According to flight-tracking data, the aircraft dropped by around 14,000 feet in less than a minute. Passengers reported hearing screaming from the front of the aircraft and seeing blood near the cockpit door.

Machchhar was stabbed during the confrontation and seriously injured. Netanyahu alleged that the co-pilot was attempting to crash the aircraft.

Despite his injuries, Machchhar resisted the attacker and opened the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew members to overpower him, Netanyahu said.

Other qualified crew subsequently took control of the aircraft, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia and landed safely at Tabuk.

All 174 passengers on board survived the incident. Machchhar was subsequently hospitalised in Tabuk and was reported to be in stable condition.

Netanyahu described him as a “true hero”, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised Machchhar’s actions.

“Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO,” Modi said in a post on X, adding that the pilot had shown immense courage despite being seriously injured and helped avert a major tragedy.