The Pilot Who Prevented a Passenger Jet Bound for Israel from Being Deliberately Crashed Was an Indian Veteran Captain

[Financial News] The Indian pilot who saved a passenger jet after sustaining serious injuries from a weapon wielded by the co-pilot who allegedly tried to deliberately crash the aircraft was a veteran captain with nearly 10,000 hours of flight experience.
According to India's Hindustan Times and The Associated Press (AP) on the 1st local time, the pilot stabbed by a weapon wielded by the co-pilot during a flight the previous day was identified as Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national who worked for the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based low-cost carrier (LCC) flydubai.
Originally from Mumbai in western India, he has served as a captain operating Boeing 737 passenger aircraft for flydubai since June 2022. Before that, he spent 11 years at India's low-cost carrier SpiceJet, where he was a senior captain. From November 2020, he also served as a line training captain responsible for evaluating other pilots.
He has logged a total of 9,750 flight hours on the Boeing 737-800, part of Boeing's next-generation 737 NG (Next Generation) series, as well as the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9.
During the flight the previous day, the co-pilot stabbed Machchhar with a weapon, sending the aircraft into a steep dive of approximately 4,267 meters in less than 30 seconds as the two engaged in a fierce struggle.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the floor was already covered in blood when Machchhar opened the cockpit door using the release button.
Passengers and crew members then entered the cockpit through the open door and subdued the co-pilot, while two other flydubai pilots aboard the aircraft landed it in Saudi Arabia.
At the time of the incident, 174 passengers, including 166 Israelis, were aboard the aircraft.
The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said Machchhar, who had suffered severe stab wounds, was receiving treatment at a hospital in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia and was in relatively stable condition.
Prime Minister Netanyahu praised Machchhar for saving the passengers despite being stabbed in the cockpit of the airborne aircraft. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the previous day, Netanyahu wrote, "Despite being stabbed and seriously wounded, he fought back and resisted," adding, "He opened the cockpit door, allowing the passengers and crew to subdue the attacker."
He continued, "He prevented a deadly air disaster," emphasizing, "He saved the lives of all 174 people aboard, including Israeli citizens."
Netanyahu also called the passengers who bravely rushed into the cockpit and subdued the co-pilot after the door opened "heroes."



After the survivors safely returned to Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport, Prime Minister Netanyahu personally went there to meet the passengers who had helped subdue the attacker and hear about what happened. One passenger said he had pulled the thrust lever to stop the aircraft from diving, just as he had seen on television.
Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the passenger, who was wearing a bloodstained T-shirt, calling him a "great hero." The Israeli prime minister's office confirmed that the passenger's name was Yaniv Hayun.
The TV series Hayun said he enjoyed watching was Air Crash Investigation, whose Canadian original title is Mayday. It is a documentary program about aviation accidents and incidents.
Speaking to reporters at Ben Gurion International Airport, Hayun said that he and three other passengers helped subdue the attacker in the cockpit.
He said, "Thankfully, by God, we did it. Everyone put their heads together and worked as a team."
U.S. President Donald Trump also said he was impressed by Hayun's quick thinking.
Meeting with reporters, President Trump expressed amazement that "a plumber who had never flown a plane decided he had to pull the controls." The plumber Trump referred to is believed to be Hayun's profession.
However, President Trump did not definitively label the incident a terrorist act.
President Trump said, "I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu about this," adding, "The co-pilot may have been a terrorist, or he may simply have been out of his mind. He stabbed the captain."
In official statements, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz have described the incident as "a clear attempted terrorist attack by a jihadist."



Saudi authorities are questioning the suspect at a hospital about the precise motive for the attack and any possible backers.
The incident occurred the previous morning aboard a flydubai passenger jet traveling from Dubai in the UAE to Tel Aviv, Israel, when the co-pilot stabbed the captain, Machchhar, with a weapon and sent the aircraft into a steep dive.
The aircraft subsequently turned toward Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk and made a safe emergency landing.
Part of the rudder on the aircraft's tail was damaged by the impact of the steep descent, but all the passengers were confirmed to be safe.
Israel's Channel 12 reported that Israeli authorities believe the co-pilot seized control of the aircraft and attempted to crash it with everyone aboard.

[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, international affairs correspondent Reporter