Indian captain saves passengers after co-pilot allegedly tries to crash Flydubai flight

TEL AVIV: An Indian captain foiled an alleged attempt by the co-pilot to crash a Flydubai flight flying from Dubai to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, saving the lives of the passengers on board.

The Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, was allegedly attacked with a knife by his Omani co-pilot during a confrontation in the cockpit. Passengers said the co-pilot tried to crash the aircraft and that his intention was to bring down the plane. Most of the passengers on board were Israeli citizens.

The aircraft made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. Around 180 passengers were on board and authorities said they were all safe.

The injured, including the captain and co-pilot, were taken to hospital, according to Tabuk airport authorities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Omani co-pilot had been arrested.

The Boeing 737 aircraft took off from Dubai at around 3.05am on Wednesday. About two-and-a-half hours into the flight, the aircraft suddenly descended from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet. It first transmitted the 7700 code, indicating an emergency, followed by the 7500 code used when a hijacking or other unlawful interference is taking place. This led to strong speculation that the aircraft had been hijacked. The aircraft later transmitted the 7700 code again, easing the concern.

The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk between 9.45am and 9.50am. After receiving the hijack code, Israeli fighter jets were scrambled to the area for monitoring. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Defence Minister assessed the situation. Flydubai said another aircraft had been sent to take the passengers to Tel Aviv. Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich alleged that the co-pilot had intended to crash the aircraft.

Captain saved passengers despite being stabbed

• Captain Smit Machchhar, who resisted the alleged attempt to crash the aircraft despite being stabbed, is a native of Mumbai. Although the aircraft descended during the confrontation, he refused to give up.
• An Israeli passenger said passengers seated in the front rushed into the cockpit and overpowered the co-pilot. The attacker was removed from the cockpit. Off-duty pilots travelling as passengers then took control of the aircraft.
• Smit's condition is reportedly serious. An Israeli dentist who was travelling on the flight provided him with emergency medical assistance.
• Smit has been a captain with Flydubai's Boeing 737 fleet since June 2022. He had earlier worked for SpiceJet in Mumbai for 11 years. He served as a senior commander and, from November 2020, as a trainer for other pilots and a line-training captain. He has 9,750 hours of flying experience.