Heroes: UAE honours Kenyan Flydubai crew for bravery during mid-air emergency

By  Hilary Kimuyu

Correspondent

Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

• David Kimotho and John Muchina received the First Class Order of Zayed II in recognition of their actions during the September 30, 2026 incident aboard Flight FZ1073.
• The medals were presented by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at a ceremony attended by senior UAE officials.

Two Flydubai cabin crew members have been honoured by the United Arab Emirates for their bravery during a mid-air emergency in which the flight captain was seriously injured in an attack by his co-pilot.

David Kimotho and John Muchina received the First Class Order of Zayed II in recognition of their actions during the September 30, 2026 incident aboard Flight FZ1073, which was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

The medals were presented by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at a ceremony attended by senior UAE officials, including Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

The First Class Order of Zayed II is a high-level civil decoration awarded by the UAE President to recognise distinguished service, courage and contributions to international relations.

The honour recognises the Kenyans’ response to a crisis unfolding thousands of feet above the ground, where they helped attend to the injured captain as passengers and crew struggled to contain the situation.

Flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 Max, had departed Dubai for Tel Aviv with more than 170 passengers and crew on board, most of them Israelis, when the emergency unfolded.

According to footage shared on social media, Kimotho and Muchina rushed to the captain’s aid, checking his condition and attempting to position him safely as the aircraft descended. Their voices were heard speaking in Swahili as they assisted the injured pilot.

One attendant was heard saying, “Cheki kama anaongea, umwongeleshe” (Check if he’s talking; talk to him), while another said, “Mweke huku chini” (Put him down here).

As panic spread through the cabin, passengers and other crew members moved to restrain the co-pilot, while a doctor travelling on the flight offered medical assistance.

The incident reportedly began when the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with an axe, leaving him seriously injured. Despite his injuries, the captain managed to open the cockpit door and raise the alarm, prompting passengers to rush in and overpower the co-pilot.

One passenger briefly helped stabilise the aircraft, drawing on lessons he said he had learnt from watching an aviation disaster television programme. The passenger said he first helped pull the co-pilot away from the controls, after which two other passengers subdued him and tied him up using earphone cables.

Two off-duty Flydubai pilots travelling on the flight later took control of the aircraft and guided it to an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, according to witness accounts and Israeli officials. Saudi officials said both the captain and co-pilot were injured.

Videos from inside the cabin, verified by Reuters, showed the wounded captain, blood smeared across the cockpit walls, and passengers restraining the co-pilot.

Flight data showed the aircraft plunged more than 16,000 feet in just over 30 seconds during the most dramatic phase of the emergency. The crew issued distress signals indicating an emergency and unlawful interference before the aircraft changed course over Jordanian airspace and diverted to Saudi Arabia. An Israeli official said the aircraft’s transponder was switched off for nearly half an hour.

Flydubai said a full investigation into the incident was under way.

The emergency landing ended the ordeal for passengers and crew, while the actions of Kimotho and Muchina have now earned them recognition from the UAE.

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