{"id":30785,"date":"2026-09-30T17:36:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T17:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=30785"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:36:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T17:36:04","slug":"flydubai-flight-scare-was-it-a-terror-plot-what-we-know-and-dont-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=30785","title":{"rendered":"Flydubai flight scare: Was it a terror plot? What we know and don&#8217;t know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134599241,imgsize-58240,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/flydubai.jpg\" alt=\"Flydubai flight scare: Was it a terror plot? What we know and don't know\" title=\"Passengers describe blood, screams on Flydubai flight\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Passengers describe blood, screams on Flydubai flight\">Passengers describe blood, screams on Flydubai flight<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent confrontation between its two pilots, with the aircraft reportedly entering a rapid descent before passengers and crew intervened.<!-- --> Flight FZ1073, carrying around 180 passengers, landed safely at Tabuk, where both pilots were taken to hospital.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/>The pilot who was stabbed has been identified in Indian media reports as Indian Captain Smit Machchhar, a flydubai captain based in Dubai. His Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked him and tried to take control of the aircraft, according to Israeli officials. The incident initially raised fears of a hijacking and prompted Israel to scramble fighter jets. <!-- -->Israeli authorities later said they did not believe it was a conventional hijacking but are probing it as possibilty of a &#8220;terror attack&#8221;.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/>The incident has since triggered a wider security review, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering authorities to \u201cramp up\u201d security on both Israeli and foreign carriers operating to and from the country.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>What we know<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Indian pilot intevened to stop copilot<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"13\"\/>The pilot who was stabbed during the confrontation has been identified as Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national and the pilot in command of FZ1073, according to an Israeli journalist.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>Machchhar has been a flydubai captain since June 2022 and previously spent more than 11 years with SpiceJet, where he served as a senior commander and Line Training Captain. He has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience on Boeing 737 aircraft and had reportedly logged more than 9,500 flying hours during his SpiceJet career, including more than 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>Meanwhile, Israeli media and officials have identified the other pilot as an Omani national. <!-- -->According to the account given by Netanyahu, the co-pilot stabbed Machchhar and then apparently tried to crash the aircraft.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>Also read: <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/flydubai-flight-drama-how-indian-pilot-smit-machchhar-stopped-omani-co-pilot-from-crashing-plane\/articleshow\/134597514.cms\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8216;Indian-origin&#8217; pilot stopped Omani co-pilot from crashing plane<\/a><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Rapid descent<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"27\"\/>The incident unfolded as the aircraft was approaching Israel. Flight-tracking data showed a sharp drop in altitude during the confrontation, with reports saying the aircraft lost around 14,000 feet in less than a minute. The aircraft also suffered damage to its tail rudder, as per Times of Israel.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>Netanyahu said the aircraft went into a spin and began to dive after the confrontation in the cockpit.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>\u201cDuring the flight as they approached the country one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot,\u201d Netanyahu said in a video address. \u201cApparently he tried to crash the plane with its occupants.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"34\"\/>The aircraft also transmitted emergency signals during the incident, including a transponder code associated with unlawful interference, according to reports. <!-- -->The signals initially raised fears that the aircraft had been hijacked.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Passengers and crew intervened<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/>Netanyahu said passengers and crew members managed to enter the cockpit after the aircraft began to dive and subdued the pilot who had allegedly attacked the captain.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>\u201cI spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane went into a spin and began to dive,\u201d Netanyahu said. \u201cHe told me that somehow he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members and together they neutralized the stabbing pilot while he was trying to sabotage the aircraft\u2019s systems,&#8221; he added.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>\u201cAnother air crew that was on the plane entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the plane,\u201d he stated further.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"47\"\/>He also praised those who intervened, saying: \u201cI salute these heroes who showed exceptional resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"49\"\/>Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/flydubai-scare-netanyahu-orders-tighter-security-on-israeli-foreign-carriers\/articleshow\/134593310.cms\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Netanyahu orders tighter security on Israeli, foreign carriers<\/a><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"52\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Flight diverted to Saudi Arabia<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"54\"\/>The Boeing 737 was diverted from its route and landed safely at Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia. <!-- -->Both pilots were taken to hospital following the incident, while passengers were later continued their journey to Israel on a replacement aircraft.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"58\"\/>Flydubai confirmed that an incident had occurred during the flight and said its teams were working with the relevant authorities. The airline said all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"60\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>What we don&#8217;t know<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Exact motive<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"63\"\/>The biggest unanswered question is why the confrontation happened.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"66\"\/>Israeli officials are investigating the possibility that the co-pilot deliberately tried to crash the aircraft. Reuters reported that Israeli officials were assessing the incident as a possible attempted \u201cterror attack\u201d.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"68\"\/>However, flydubai has said the underlying reasons and motives remain unknown and are subject to investigation. The airline has not confirmed that the incident was a terrorist attack.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"70\"\/>Israeli media have also reported other possibilities, including an attempted suicide or deliberate attempt to crash the aircraft. <!-- -->The exact trigger for the confrontation between the two pilots has not been publicly established.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"74\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Where did the knife come from<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"76\"\/>Passenger accounts and Israeli media reports say a knife was used during the cockpit confrontation and that Machchhar was stabbed several times.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"78\"\/>Yasmin Abukasis said her daughter Miriam, who was on the flight, told her she heard screaming before seeing a man with a knife force one of the pilots to the floor, with blood reportedly visible throughout the cockpit.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"81\"\/>But authorities have not publicly explained where the knife came from or how it entered the cockpit.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"83\"\/>That remains a key unanswered question in the security investigation.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"85\"\/>Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/middle-east\/thought-they-were-going-to-die-passengers-mother-says-pilot-tried-to-kill-co-pilot-on-flydubai-flight\/articleshow\/134593401.cms\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Passenger&#8217;s mother says pilot tried to kill co-pilot on Flydubai flight<\/a><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"88\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">How was Omani co-pilot cleared to fly to Israel?<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"90\"\/>Israeli authorities are also examining how the Omani national was authorised to operate a flight to Israel.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"92\"\/>Israeli reports said security officials were looking into the clearance process for the co-pilot, given his nationality and the fact that he was operating a flight bound for Israel.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"95\"\/>Israeli security officials said Israel bars foreign airlines from using pilots on the Tel Aviv route from countries with which it has no diplomatic relations. Meanwhilwe, transport Minister Miri Regev called for all flydubai flights to and from Israel to be halted.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"98\"\/>It is not yet clear what security checks were carried out on the co-pilot, who authorised him for the Israel-bound flight or whether any screening procedure was breached.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"101\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">A terror attack?<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"103\"\/>The &#8220;terror attack&#8221; angle remains under consideration but hasn&#8217;t been officially stated.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"105\"\/>Israeli officials have raised the possibility of an attempted terror attack, while some Israeli media reports have described the incident as a possible deliberate attempt to crash the aircraft. But there is currently no publicly established motive explaining why the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar and attempted to take control of the aircraft.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"107\"\/>This also comes as the incident initially triggered a hijacking response, but Israeli officials later said it was not believed to be a conventional hijacking.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/middle-east\/flydubai-flight-scare-was-it-a-terror-plot-what-we-know-and-dont-know\/articleshow\/134598874.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Passengers describe blood, screams on Flydubai flight A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent confrontation between its two pilots, with the aircraft reportedly entering a rapid descent before passengers and crew intervened. Flight FZ1073, carrying around 180 passengers, landed safely at Tabuk, where both [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Passengers describe blood, screams on Flydubai flight A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent confrontation between its two pilots, with the aircraft reportedly entering a rapid descent before passengers and crew intervened. Flight FZ1073, carrying around 180 passengers, landed safely at Tabuk, where both [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":6,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/flydubai.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}