{"id":30817,"date":"2026-09-30T20:44:40","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T20:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=30817"},"modified":"2026-09-30T20:44:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T20:44:40","slug":"captain-machchhar-the-pilot-from-mumbai-who-proved-to-be-the-hero-india-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=30817","title":{"rendered":"Captain Machchhar: The pilot from Mumbai who proved to be the hero | India News"},"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-134602280,imgsize-840195,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg\" alt=\"Captain Machchhar: The pilot from Mumbai who proved to be the hero\" title=\"(@IsraelMFA\/X) 'Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door - allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers' said Israel's foreign ministry\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"(@IsraelMFA\/X) 'Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door - allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers' said Israel's foreign ministry\">(@IsraelMFA\/X) &#8216;Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door &#8211; allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers&#8217; said Israel&#8217;s foreign ministry<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>NEW DELHI: A Mumbaikar who completed his pilot training in Gurgaon, Captain Smit Machchhar, has emerged as the hero who helped save the lives of over 180 people on board flydubai\u2019s Dubai-Tel Aviv flight.<!-- --> Attacked by his Omani national co-pilot, the captain, who hails from Ghatkopar and is learnt to be in mid 30s, he managed to both fight off the assailant and regain control of the aircraft despite being injured.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/>Displaying a crucial presence of mind in most sudden and severe circumstances, he managed to save the plane from plunging \u2014 something the Boeing 737 MAX was very close to at that point of time. According to tracking site Flightradar24, the plane (A6-FKF) operating as FZ 1073 had dropped over 14,000 feet (about 4.3 km) from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet in just 29 seconds. <!-- -->\u201cFlightradar24 data recorded an extreme descent rate of approximately 30,000 feet per minute.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/>For this flight which had 174 passengers of whom 166 were Israeli citizens, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address: \u201cDuring the flight as they approached the country one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot. Apparently he tried to crash the plane with its occupants.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>Captain Smit Machchhar managed to save the aircraft from a fatal plunge at this crucial time. Just as he stabilised the aircraft, crew members opened the cockpit door and managed to overpower the assailant co-pilot. FZ 1073 had two more pilots travelling as passengers who were to operate the aircraft back to Dubai from Tel Aviv. Once the situation in the flight deck was controlled, these two pilots took over the aircraft and safely diverted it to Saudi Arabia\u2019s Tabuk with its rudder \u2014 used for directional control \u2014 getting detached during the sharp plunge.<\/p>\n<div data-type=\"in_view\" class=\"  \">\n<div class=\"LEzX4\">\n<div class=\"PmOGb\">\n<p class=\"PSf84\">Share your thoughts in the comments<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Insightful<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Agree<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Disagree<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Skeptical<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Concerning<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Promising<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Worth Reading<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Big Development<\/button><\/p>\n<p><textarea class=\"T9MbS\" rows=\"1\" placeholder=\"Add your Thoughts...\"\/><button type=\"button\" class=\"ZW6JD \" disabled=\"\">Post Comment<\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"swnca\">Be respectful \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatimes.com\/termsandcondition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"gkv0P\">TOI community guidelines<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>A flydubai spokesperson confirmed that \u201can altercation occurred\u201d in the flight deck.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>Captain Machchhar, who worked in SpiceJet for about a decade till 2023, is learnt to be stable. Multiple friends and colleagues remember him as a \u201cgreat guy\u201d and are praying for his recovery. \u201cHe did his commercial pilot licence (CPL) training from New Zealand and then his type rating on the Boeing 737 at FSTC in Manesar (Gurgaon). He is a very decent and sober person ever willing to learn. There is not a single negative thing that I can recall about him,\u201d said a senior pilot who trained him.<!-- --> Smit\u2019s brother is also a pilot who flies for flydubai.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/captain-machchhar-the-pilot-from-mumbai-who-proved-to-be-the-hero\/articleshow\/134602233.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(@IsraelMFA\/X) &#8216;Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door &#8211; allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers&#8217; said Israel&#8217;s foreign ministry NEW DELHI: A Mumbaikar who completed his pilot training in Gurgaon, Captain Smit Machchhar, has emerged as the hero who helped save the lives [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"(@IsraelMFA\/X) &#8216;Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door &#8211; allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers&#8217; said Israel&#8217;s foreign ministry NEW DELHI: A Mumbaikar who completed his pilot training in Gurgaon, Captain Smit Machchhar, has emerged as the hero who helped save the lives [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/captain-smit-machchhar-flydubai-pilot.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\/30817","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=30817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}