Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar tells Netanyahu what happened inside cockpit: ‘Big blow to my head’

Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar has given a detailed account of the moments inside the cockpit when his co-pilot attacked him aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the assault began shortly after the co-pilot asked to pray.

In a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, Machchhar said a few minutes later he felt a blow to the back of his head, and then the blows kept coming.

Machchhar said he initially thought the repeated blows to the back of his head were caused by a problem with the aircraft. It was only after several blows that he realised the other person in the cockpit was attacking him.

The captain, who was seriously injured, eventually managed to open the cockpit door while the aircraft was plunging, allowing passengers to enter and help subdue the co-pilot. Two other flydubai pilots who were travelling on the aircraft then helped stabilise the plane before it made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו בשיחה עם הטייס ההודי מהטיסה מדובאי, קפטן סמית מאצ’הר:
״אתה גיבור עבור ישראל, הודו והעולם כולו. אני מזמין אותך ואת ראש ממשלת הודו מודי להשיא משואה ביום העצמאות הישראלי״

במהלך השיחה המרגשת שהתקיימה הערב, ראש הממשלה שאל את הטייס מאצ’הר איך הכל התחיל,… pic.twitter.com/ysnK5mxJNX

— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) October 3, 2026

How the attack began

Machchhar told Netanyahu that the flight had been normal before the incident. The co-pilot, identified in media reports as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, told him that he wanted to pray. Machchhar said he turned away out of respect.

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EXPRESS INFOGENIE · FLYDUBAI FZ1073BLOW BY BLOW · 1 / 11

A routine flight

Dubai to Tel Aviv, cruising normally, until the co-pilot got up to pray.

Animated reconstruction — based on pilot testimony, passenger accounts and published reporting

FLYDUBAI · BOARDING PASS

DXBDubai

→

TLVTel Aviv

FLIGHTFZ1073

DATE30 SEP

DEP03:05 GMT

AIRCRAFT737 MAX 8

ON BOARD182PEOPLE

ALTITUDE

34,000

FT · CRUISE

STATUS

NORMAL

 

CO-PILOT

GETS UP TO PRAY

4–5 MIN LATER →

Captain Smit Machchhar says the co-pilot got up to pray. Then, “after four or five minutes”, the attack began.

Sources: Capt. Smit Machchhar’s account to Benjamin Netanyahu, via The Times of Israel; AP

Express InfoGenIECreated by Aniruddha Dhar

A few minutes later, he felt a blow to the back of his head. “Suddenly, after four or five minutes, there was a big blow to the back of my head,” Machchhar said.

He initially thought the aircraft had suffered catastrophic damage.

“But after that, the blows kept coming, one after the other,” he said. “That’s when I realized it’s not the aircraft, it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me.”

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EXPRESS INFOGENIE · FLYDUBAI FZ1073BLOW BY BLOW · 2 / 11

The first blow

It came from behind, without warning, and it did not stop.

Animated reconstruction — based on pilot testimony, passenger accounts and published reporting

 AI-GENERATED ILLUSTRATION · NOT A PHOTOGRAPH · CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF INJURY

“A BIG BLOW TO THE BACK OF MY HEAD”

Capt. Smit MachchharIndian captain of FZ1073. Photo: Reuters

BLOW 1BLOW 2AND MORE…

1He thinks the aircraft has suffered catastrophic damage

2The blows keep coming, one after the other

3He realises it is the co-pilot

“My first thought was that there was catastrophic damage to the aircraft. But after that, the blows kept coming, one after the other.”Capt. Smit Machchhar, via The Times of Israel

Sources: Capt. Smit Machchhar’s account to Benjamin Netanyahu, via The Times of Israel. Illustration is AI-generated; photo of Machchhar: Reuters.

Express InfoGenIECreated by Aniruddha Dhar

Machchhar said he tried to stop the co-pilot, but the initial blows had severely affected his vision. “I was completely blurred out,” he said.

He then realised that the aircraft was sharply descending.

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EXPRESS INFOGENIE · FLYDUBAI FZ1073BLOW BY BLOW · 3 / 11

The fall

In about 90 seconds, the jet lost more than half its cruising altitude.

Flight-tracking data · AP, Flightradar24

ft

Representational image: flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8

SECONDS

34,000 ft · 05:21:0916,600 ft · 05:22:40−17,400 ft

21,725 ftBrief climb back

15,000 ft05:24:29 · held until landing

Sources: AP; Flightradar24. Plane image is representational; motion is illustrative.

Express InfoGenIECreated by Aniruddha Dhar

‘I had one last fight left in me’

Machchhar said his memory of the attack remained fragmented. He recalled making an initial attempt to open the cockpit door, but said the co-pilot managed to close it again.

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EXPRESS INFOGENIE · FLYDUBAI FZ1073BLOW BY BLOW · 4 / 11

Fighting back, half-blind

Injured and with his vision blurred, Machchhar tried to stop the co-pilot as the aircraft went down.

Animated reconstruction — based on pilot testimony, passenger accounts and published reporting

Capt. Smit MachchharIndian captain of FZ1073. Photo: Reuters

Tap to see the difference

Clear viewWhat he described

AI-GENERATED ILLUSTRATION · NOT A PHOTOGRAPH · CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF INJURY

AIRCRAFT SHARPLY GOING DOWN

“I was completely blurred out.”Capt. Smit Machchhar, via The Times of Israel

Sources: Capt. Smit Machchhar’s account to Benjamin Netanyahu, via The Times of Israel. Illustration is AI-generated; photo of Machchhar: Reuters.

Express InfoGenIECreated by Aniruddha Dhar

He was eventually lying on the cockpit floor as the aircraft descended and he could hear people screaming. “I had one last fight left in me,” Machchhar told Netanyahu.

He said he knew that he had to make another attempt to reach the door. “That’s when I pushed against everything, I gave everything that I had, and just went for the door and opened the door and people were waiting to pounce back, and take control, and the rest is what you know, sir.”

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Machchhar had earlier given Prime Minister Narendra Modi a similar account, saying he realised the aircraft was going down and made a final effort to open the cockpit door.

An unforgettable conversation with Captain Smit, filled with pride and emotions. pic.twitter.com/CCf46PKOWR

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 2, 2026

How Machchhar opened the cockpit door

During the conversation, Netanyahu asked Machchhar how he had managed to open the cockpit door while seriously injured. Machchhar explained that the door could be opened from inside using a twist mechanism, while those outside normally needed a code to enter.

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EXPRESS INFOGENIE · FLYDUBAI FZ1073BLOW BY BLOW · 5 / 11

The locked door

Help was right outside. The co-pilot made sure the door stayed shut.

Animated reconstruction — based on pilot testimony, passenger accounts and published reporting

OUTSIDE

123456789

Colleagues try the entry code. The co-pilot “was not allowing” it to work.

INSIDE

From inside, the door opens with a simple twist-to-open knob.

“The door from the inside has a twist-to-open mechanism. From the outside it can only be opened with a code.”Capt. Smit Machchhar, via The Times of Israel

Sources: Capt. Smit Machchhar’s account to Benjamin Netanyahu, via The Times of Israel

Express InfoGenIECreated by Aniruddha Dhar

He said passengers and crew outside tried to use the code, but the co-pilot prevented them from gaining access. Machchhar said he eventually managed to reach the internal knob and twist it open.

The opening of the door allowed passengers to enter the cockpit and intervene as the aircraft was in a severe descent.

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EXPRESS INFOGENIE · FLYDUBAI FZ1073BLOW BY BLOW · 6 / 11

One last fight

On the floor, badly hurt, he realised the aircraft was going down. Twist the knob.

Animated reconstruction — based on pilot testimony, passenger accounts and published reporting

TAP TO TWIST

ONELASTPUSH

The door opens. Passengers and crew rush in.

“I had one last fight left in me… I pushed against everything, I gave everything that I had.”Capt. Smit Machchhar, via The Times of Israel

Sources: Capt. Smit Machchhar’s account to Benjamin Netanyahu, via The Times of Israel

Express InfoGenIECreated by Aniruddha Dhar

Two other pilots then took over

Once the cockpit door was opened, passengers moved in and helped subdue the co-pilot. Flydubai has said that on-duty crew members travelling on the aircraft helped stabilise the plane and land it safely. The airline has not publicly identified the two pilots.

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EXPRESS INFOGENIE · FLYDUBAI FZ1073BLOW BY BLOW · 7 / 11

The cabin erupts

What passengers heard in the moments after the door opened, from footage filmed near the cockpit.

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT · PASSENGER FOOTAGE

VOICE

“He tried to crash the plane!”

VOICE

“Sit down!”

CABIN

Repeated calls for a doctor

ACTION

Dr Shota Musayev, an Israeli dentist, moves forward to help

VOICE

“No one will release him.”

ACTION

The co-pilot is held on his knees, hands bound

Sources: Channel 12 passenger footage, via The Times of Israel. Not independently verified by The Indian Express.

Express InfoGenIECreated by Aniruddha Dhar

Two pilots were reportedly travelling as passengers as part of a routine aviation practice known as deadheading, in which crew members are repositioned for a subsequent assignment. They were expected to operate the aircraft on its return journey.

The aircraft had plunged thousands of feet during the incident before being stabilised and diverted to Tabuk.

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EXPRESS INFOGENIE · FLYDUBAI FZ1073BLOW BY BLOW · 10 / 11

Touchdown at Tabuk

Nearly four hours after take-off, FZ1073 made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Flight-tracking data · AP, Flightradar24

RUNWAY

TABUKSAUDI ARABIA

06:58GMT

03:05Take-off, Dubai

3h 53mIn the air

06:58Landing, Tabuk

Netanyahu invites Machchhar to Israel’s Independence Day ceremony

Netanyahu told Machchhar that he was amazed by his courage and ability to remain composed under extreme circumstances.

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“You saved so many souls … You saved the spirit of the world,” Netanyahu said. He described Machchhar as a hero of Israel, India and the wider world and wished him a speedy recovery.

Netanyahu also invited Machchhar and Modi to participate in Israel’s next Independence Day ceremony by lighting a ceremonial torch. “You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel,” Netanyahu told him. “And you’re a hero of the entire world.”

Machchhar says a dentist helped save his life

During the conversation, Netanyahu also spoke about the medical treatment Machchhar received after the emergency landing. He said he had spoken to the dentist who treated the injured pilot and described the medical professional’s account of Machchhar’s courage. Machchhar said he wanted to meet the dentist.

“I would love to meet him as well. He saved my life, to be honest,” he said.

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The flight eventually landed safely at Tabuk after the cockpit attack. The Indian pilot and the co-pilot were subsequently taken to the UAE.

Machchhar is recovering in the UAE

The Indian Embassy in the UAE said Saturday that Machchhar remained under medical care and was “recovering well”.

The pilot’s latest account comes as the UAE-led investigation into the incident continues. UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said investigators had determined that the co-pilot attacked Machchhar with the aircraft’s crash axe and attempted to take control of the plane. The UAE has described the incident as an attempted “terrorist attack” and said investigators are examining its circumstances, motive and possible connections.

The co-pilot has been identified by multiple media reports as Hamam al-Hammami. Associated Press reported that he had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about extremist views, although the investigation has not established his motive or whether he had links to any militant group.