Flydubai Pilot Stabbed Mid-Flight, Plane Diverted to Saudi Arabia

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on September 30, 2026, after one pilot stabbed another in the cockpit and allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft, according to Israeli, Indian and aviation sources.¹²⁴

The incident in the air

Flight FZ1073 had been airborne for about two and a half hours when a distress call came at 8:44am local time on Wednesday, according to ABC Australia. According to The Jerusalem Post, the aircraft sent out a distress signal and triggered a transponder code associated with possible hijackings, with the outlet noting the situation was still developing while the plane remained within Saudi airspace.²⁴

The Hindu reported that the jet dropped roughly 16,000 feet within a single minute, looped erratically near the Jordanian frontier, and touched down in Tabuk about an hour afterward, with much of the tail's rudder said to have been ripped away. Arab News and aninews.in both reported that during the struggle the plane lost close to 17,000 feet of altitude in under two minutes.¹³⁶

Passenger Yaniv Hayoun broke into the cockpit along with a crew member to subdue the attacker, ABC Australia reported. Hayoun told reporters, "When I went in, I saw the terrorist on the controls, between the two seats. Both pilot seats were empty, he recalled. Passenger Doron Spielman said that when others pushed forward, they discovered the wounded captain lying on the floor while the attacking pilot stood over the controls.²³

Israeli dentist Shota Musayev, who said he was the only doctor on board, described treating the captain: "When I heard screaming, after 10 seconds I ran — I didn't wait. He said that upon entering the cockpit he found the pilot severely injured and bleeding heavily, especially from the head, and that he was able to halt the bleeding and stabilize the captain's blood pressure.³

The captain and the attacker

The captain was identified by The Hindu and Arab News as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national with more than 13 years of commercial flying experience and about 9,750 flying hours on Boeing 737 variants, who joined flydubai in 2022 after 11 years with SpiceJet. Both pilots suffered injuries requiring hospital treatment, ABC Australia reported, and Saudi Arabia arrested one of the pilots.¹²⁶

According to The Hindu, it was the co-pilot who allegedly tried to crash the plane and kill everyone on board, and it was not clear what had motivated the attack. Aviation A2Z likewise reported that the precise sequence of events and the motive had not been conclusively established, with Saudi and Israeli authorities and flydubai all investigating.¹⁷

ABC Australia reported that Flydubai stated the cause of the incident had not yet been determined and cautioned against jumping to conclusions. According to aninews.in, the carrier confirmed there had been a confrontation inside the cockpit and that the plane was brought under control by crew members on duty.²³

Passengers and reactions

About 170 to 180 passengers were on board, including more than 100, and by some accounts up to 166, Israeli citizens, according to ABC Australia and aninews.in. The Hindu and Arab News reported that the captain's actions saved the lives of 174 people. Passengers spent about six hours on the ground in Saudi Arabia, aninews.in reported, before boarding a rescue flight that landed at Ben Gurion Airport with passengers reportedly singing and cheering; TASS confirmed passengers from the diverted plane arrived in Tel Aviv.¹²³⁵

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Hayoun at Ben Gurion Airport and told him, "I see you and I see a lion — a big hero." Netanyahu also praised the captain: "My salute to the Indian pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, for his extraordinary bravery. Netanyahu added that even after being stabbed and badly hurt, the captain resisted the attacker and averted what could have been a disastrous crash. He credited the captain with saving all 174 people aboard, among them Israeli citizens and passengers of other nationalities.²⁶

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised Machchhar, saying, "In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others." The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said it was in touch with the captain's family and that he was reported to be in stable condition.²⁶

Aftermath

Flydubai announced a temporary suspension of flights to and from Israel pending the outcome of the investigation, according to ABC Australia and aninews.in. ABC Australia reported that Israeli officials ordered tighter screening of pilots entering the country, and that the Israel Air Force launched fighter jets during the episode amid fears it might be a hijacking.²³

The US Department of Homeland Security stated there were no credible threats to the United States following the incident, aninews.in reported. Aviation A2Z noted that Saudi and Israeli authorities, together with flydubai, continued separate inquiries into the confrontation.³⁷