Flydubai captain recounts defending against co-pilot axe attack on Dubai-Tel Aviv flight
Captain Smit Machchhar described how he blocked blows from a co-pilot wielding a crash axe and helped secure the aircraft after an attempted suicide attack forced the plane into a rapid descent.
Captain Smit Machchhar, the pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, told The National from a hospital in Abu Dhabi that he was assaulted by the co-pilot with a crash axe while the aircraft was over Saudi airspace. He said the first strike made him think the aircraft structure had been damaged, after which he realized he was being attacked and immediately tried to free himself from his seatbelt and shield his head.
"My immediate action was to free myself from the seatbelts and I tried to just block the blows as much as I could," Machchhar said.
He added that he reached for the cockpit door knob, shouted for assistance, and lost consciousness briefly. The plane dropped about 16,000 feet in 30 seconds before other crew members subdued the attacker and landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia. The assailant, identified as an Omani national, was later transferred to the United Arab Emirates for prosecution. UAE prosecutors said the plot was inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Machchhar recalled hearing the cockpit door open and hearing a struggle between his colleague and the attacker, noting the aircraft’s nose pitched sharply downward during the incident.