Capt. Smit Machchhar is an Indian airline captain from Mumbai who was piloting a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv when it diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on 30 September 2026. News reports say he was injured in a cockpit attack, opened the cockpit door so passengers could intervene, and later described fighting to protect those aboard.
Who is Capt. Smit Machchhar?
Associated Press identifies Machchhar as an Indian pilot from Mumbai. A profile in The National says he served as a commander at Indian airline SpiceJet for 11 years before joining Flydubai as a captain four years before the incident. It also reports that he trained at Mainland Air in Dunedin, New Zealand, for 18 months beginning in 2008, and later co-founded a pilot training academy in Mumbai. Those career details are profile reporting; no primary employment or training records were cited.
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What happened on the Flydubai flight?
On 30 September 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a reported attack in the cockpit by the co-pilot. AP reported that 182 people were aboard. That is the reported total; passenger-only counts differ across coverage.
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AP reported that Machchhar was injured and opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the co-pilot. Other crew members secured and landed the aircraft at Tabuk. The published accounts do not establish every operational detail of how the aircraft was flown during the incident.
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What did Machchhar say about the attack?
During a televised video call from hospital with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Machchhar described being badly hurt: “I had so many wounds. I had fallen down.” He also said, “I was fighting for my life. At one point, I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives,” according to AP.
In a profile published by The National, Machchhar described his priority this way: “As long as you are walking out of the aircraft safely, that’s what I want.”
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What is known about the investigation?
On 3 October 2026, The National reported that the UAE Attorney General characterized the co-pilot’s actions as an attempted terrorist act. The same report said a full official investigation was underway. The characterization is an attributed statement, not a final investigative finding; the reported accounts do not settle the co-pilot’s motive or all the circumstances of the incident.
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