Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar has recounted how he fought to regain control of Flydubai Flight FZ1073 after being attacked by his co-pilot, revealing that two other pilots travelling as passengers later entered the cockpit and took control of the aircraft. Machchhar, speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, said the September 30 flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was proceeding normally when co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami told him he wanted to pray. He said he was then struck repeatedly from behind, causing his vision to blur as the aircraft entered a sharp descent.
The incident has triggered an investigation by UAE authorities, who have described the attack as an attempted terrorist act. UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said investigators found that the co-pilot had used a crash axe kept in the cockpit and attempted to seize control of the aircraft.
Machchhar recalls moment co-pilot attacked him
According to Machchhar, there was nothing unusual about the flight before the attack. He said al-Hammami told him that he wanted to pray, and he looked towards the front of the aircraft while the co-pilot prayed behind him.
“It was a normal flight, and he wanted to pray, which is not out of the ordinary. While he was praying, out of respect, I was looking at the front, not at the back, and suddenly there was a big blow to the back of my head,” Machchhar said.
Machchhar initially thought something had gone seriously wrong with the aircraft. However, after he was struck again, he realised that the co-pilot was attacking him. The blows left him struggling to see clearly, and he soon felt the aircraft entering a sharp descent.
“I did try to stop him, but because of his initial blows, my vision was almost like nothing. And I was completely blurred out. And at that point, the next feeling that I had was that the aircraft was sharply going down,” he said.
Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the attack, including the alleged motive, how it was planned and whether anyone else was involved.
How Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door
Despite his injuries, Machchhar said he continued trying to reach the cockpit door. He managed to open it once, but al-Hammami shut it again, leaving Machchhar injured on the cockpit floor.
As he heard people outside the cockpit, Machchhar said he realised that opening the door again could be his only chance to stop the attack. He then made another attempt to reach the door mechanism.
“I had one last fight left in me. Call it personal or call it for people, but let’s say I did it, that if I don’t do it, I’m going to die,” he said.
Machchhar eventually reached the handle and managed to open the door from inside. Passengers waiting outside then rushed into the cockpit and confronted the co-pilot.
Machchhar told Netanyahu that crew members outside had earlier tried to gain access using the cockpit access code, but the attacker prevented them from entering.
Two unidentified pilots then step in
Once the cockpit door opened, two more pilots stepped in. Flydubai said they were on-duty crew members travelling on FZ1073, but their names had not been made public as of Sunday.
As per news reports, the two pilots were travelling to Tel Aviv because they were scheduled to operate the aircraft on its return flight to Dubai. Airline crew travelling as passengers to operate another flight is commonly known as deadheading.
After passengers pulled the co-pilot away, one of the travelling pilots moved through the group and reached the cockpit first. The second pilot followed him, after which the two closed the cockpit door.
Passengers did not initially know who was flying the aircraft
Even after the two pilots took control of the cockpit, passengers were initially unaware of who was operating the aircraft. Schlichter said there was no immediate communication from the cockpit, leaving those in the cabin uncertain about what was happening.
The aircraft took several minutes to stabilise before a mayday call was made. About 45 minutes later, according to Schlichter, passengers were informed that the flight would divert to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
FZ1073 subsequently landed safely in Tabuk.
Netanyahu invites Machchhar and PM Modi to Israel ceremony
Machchhar’s account came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised him for his actions during the emergency. Netanyahu also invited Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend Israel’s Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony in May 2027.
“You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel, and you’re a hero of the entire world,” Netanyahu told Machchhar.
