Off-Duty Pilots Successfully Land Flydubai Flight After Attack on Captain
Two off-duty pilots intervened to safely land a flydubai flight after the Indian captain was attacked by his co-pilot during the flight.
In a dramatic incident on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, two off-duty pilots, Henson Steven from Fiji and Rowan Tooth from South Africa, took control of the aircraft after Indian captain Smit Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami. The attack involved an attempt to crash the plane, leading to a rapid descent of nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds.
The incident unfolded when Machchhar, despite being injured, managed to open the cockpit door, alerting passengers and crew to the emergency. An Israeli passenger briefly took control of the aircraft before the off-duty pilots stepped in. "The plane started leveling out a little more, and then the pilot told me he was taking over from there," said passenger Yaniv Hayun, who accused the co-pilot of trying to destroy the controls.
Following the successful intervention, Steven and Tooth executed an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The flight, which had over 170 people on board, later continued to Tel Aviv on a replacement aircraft. The pilots were recognized with the First Class Order of Zayed II by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for their actions during the crisis. Reports indicate that the off-duty pilots were on the flight to help manage crew duty hours and prepare for potential airspace restrictions.