Who Really Landed the Flydubai Jet? Conflicting Reports Emerge After Cockpit Attack

New details have emerged about the nationality of the pilot who was injured by his colleague aboard a Flydubai aircraft. As reported in Israel, the captain of the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight who was wounded is an Indian national named Smit Machchhar.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Anna Zvereva, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

FlyDubai A6-FEF aircraft

According to the source, the man has worked for the United Arab Emirates airline since 2022. Before that, he spent 11 years working as a pilot-training instructor for the Indian airline SpiceJet. His professional responsibilities included supervising junior members of the flight crew and overseeing operational training.

This experienced aviator has extensive experience flying Boeing 737 MAX 8/9 and 737-800 aircraft. Over a 13-year career spanning a total of 9,750 flight hours, he accumulated more than 6,400 hours as the primary captain.

According to the publication, the captain fought back heroically and warned the crew and passengers, allowing pilots who happened to be travelling on board while off duty to land the aircraft safely. After the plane touched down, the man was taken to hospital. Reports about his subsequent condition differ: Walla reported that efforts to save the captain's life had failed. However, according to Mash, he is alive and receiving mechanical ventilation.

The Indian pilot "who fought off his colleague and saved 180 passengers" was also featured by the news portal Firstpost. The media outlet also quoted Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon. "Thank you to the heroic pilot from the UAE who fought like a lion and protected the lives of the passengers," he wrote.

Initial reports said that the attacker was an Omani national and that the injured pilot was from the UAE.

Who Could Actually Have Landed the Aircraft?

The aviation incident occurred on the morning of September 30. Around 180 passengers were on board. During the flight, the aircraft suddenly descended and transmitted the 7700 emergency code, followed by code 7500, which is used when an unlawful interference or hijacking is suspected. According to preliminary information, a confrontation broke out between the two pilots. One of them attempted to send the aircraft down toward the ground, while the other, together with passengers, tried to stop him. The latter sustained stab wounds in the struggle. People on board provided him with first aid. A representative of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "the injured pilot, covered in blood and lying on the floor, clicked the lock on the cockpit door," Reuters reported.

After the incident, the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. The pilot accused of attempting to cause an air disaster was arrested. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident aboard the flight as an attempted jihadist terrorist attack.

According to sources, the aircraft was landed by two pilots from the airline who had been travelling on board as passengers. One version says they were a Russian and a Ukrainian national who were serving as replacements for the regular crew members.

RIA Novosti, meanwhile, reported that Israeli i24News journalist Guy Azriel claimed that the people who took control of the Flydubai aircraft and landed it safely were citizens of South Africa and New Zealand.

BBC, however, reported that one of the pilots who landed the aircraft was British. Almog Italie, who was also on board, told journalists about this. The man added that the second pilot was European but did not specify his nationality.