Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar Breaks Silence on Axe Attack

Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar has broken his silence for the first time since his co-pilot attacked him with an axe at 34,000 feet, describing a desperate fight to save 172 lives aboard Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. In a world-exclusive interview with The National from his hospital bed in Abu Dhabi — published Saturday and updated Sunday morning — the Indian pilot said he first mistook the opening blow for falling debris, then realised his colleague was trying to kill him. It is a major new development in a story GlobalDeskNews has tracked from the start; our earlier reporting covered the UAE attorney general’s findings on the alleged 9/11-style suicide plot and the initial hijack attempt on September 30.

The first officer, Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, 29, remains detained in the UAE and faces terrorism charges over what prosecutors call a “premeditated terrorist plot”. Machchhar, hailed as a hero across the aviation world, said he expects the close call to force industry-wide security changes — starting with the cockpit fire axe that became a weapon.

Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar Interview: The Cockpit Battle

Nothing about that morning felt wrong, Machchhar said. He had met the first officer for the first time that day, and the flight ran normally for roughly two hours — until, as he checked the computer for landing timings, the first blow hit the back of his head.

“The first time when I was hit … my thought was something’s gone horribly wrong with the aircraft structure,” he said. “In the next couple of seconds, when the hits kept on coming, [I realised] it’s the other person who I thought was supposed to be on the team.”

Training took over: he freed himself from the seat belt and shielded his head. “I tried to block the blows as much as I could. [I was] screaming for my colleagues. I fell face down in the cockpit,” he said — left with serious head and arm injuries, his vision narrowed to outlines.

The 17,000-Foot Dive Toward the Desert

With the captain down, the co-pilot seized the controls and plunged the Boeing 737 some 17,000 feet in less than a minute toward the Arabian Desert, prosecutors say, intending to kill everyone aboard. Machchhar kept blacking out — each physical effort, he believes, cost him more blood.

What he remembers most is the sound of the engines dying. “The scariest thing that I heard and felt was the engines spooling down … not what you want at that stage in the flight. And I felt the aircraft was steeply going down.”

Bleeding heavily, he clawed toward the cockpit door — locked from the inside — and forced it open after several attempts. In a parallel account to Sky News Arabia, he described screaming a colleague’s name and fumbling for the door-release switch as his strength failed, one thought looping in his head: “You can’t die like this.”

Passengers and Crew Take Back the Plane

The open door changed everything. As Machchhar was hauled out, passengers and crew seized the first officer, and two flydubai pilots travelling as passengers took the controls. The jet landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia — all 172 aboard survived, The National reported.

Machchhar called the rescue “magic”. “If I have to say how many people were trying to control the situation, I would say a million,” he said. The Times of Israel reported that a small group of Israeli passengers burst into the cockpit and subdued the attacker — Yaniv Hayun helped stabilise the plane before an off-duty pilot took over.

At Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi, Machchhar said he prayed through the worst of it. “I prayed a lot. I thought about my son, my daughter, and prayed,” he said. “Did I give up? No. I can 100 per cent tell you I did not give up.”

What Prosecutors Say About the Plot

According to the UAE attorney general’s findings, al-Hammami planned to crash the jet into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport — a 9/11-inspired suicide attack. Prosecutors say he was radicalised by online Islamist content. He claims he acted alone; investigators are still verifying that.

The captain insists he saw no warning signs. “Nothing until that point would have caused me to think that: ‘Hey, hold on, there’s something off,’” he said — and the timing still puzzles him, with Tel Aviv more than an hour away. On whether aviation security will change: “I think so. And for good.” His message to the industry: “You’ve got to learn from the event … make sure that this doesn’t happen again, ever.”

Why It Matters

This is the first detailed account from the man at the centre of one of the most alarming aviation incidents in years — and it turns a prosecutor’s case file into a human survival story. But Machchhar’s testimony also raises questions the industry can’t keep dodging: why a fire axe sits within reach in the cockpit, how vetting missed the alleged radicalisation, and whether countries shared intelligence they should have.

What Happens Next

The first officer stays in UAE custody on terrorism charges, with Emirati, Saudi, Israeli and Indian agencies coordinating the probe. Airlines and regulators face pressure to review cockpit tool access and crew screening — a process Machchhar himself backed. The captain faces a long recovery but wants to fly again: “Did my love die for aviation? Not at all.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Captain Smit Machchhar?

Smit Machchhar is the Indian captain of flydubai Flight 1073, attacked with an axe by his co-pilot on September 30, 2026. Hailed as a hero, he fought through severe injuries to open the cockpit door so passengers and crew could subdue the attacker. He is recovering at Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi and says he wants to return to flying.

What happened on flydubai Flight 1073?

On a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on September 30, the co-pilot allegedly struck Captain Machchhar repeatedly with an emergency axe, seized the controls, and sent the Boeing 737 into a 17,000-foot dive in under a minute. The captain forced the cockpit door open; passengers, crew and two off-duty pilots then overpowered the attacker, and the jet landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

What did the flydubai captain say in his first interview?

Speaking to The National from his hospital bed, Machchhar said he first thought a cockpit panel had collapsed on his head. He described blocking the blows, blacking out from blood loss, hearing the engines spool down, and forcing the door open. He also backed airline security reviews, saying of the cockpit fire axe scrutiny: “I think so. And for good.”

What was the co-pilot’s alleged plan?

Prosecutors say Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, 29, planned to crash the jet into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in a suicide attack inspired by 9/11. The UAE attorney general called it a “premeditated terrorist plot”, saying he was radicalised by online Islamist content. He claims he acted alone — investigators are still verifying that.

What charges does the co-pilot face?

The first officer is detained in the United Arab Emirates and faces terrorism charges, prosecutors have said, with Saudi, Israeli, Indian and other agencies coordinating the investigation. No trial date has been announced — but any trial will turn on evidence of planning, and on whether his “acted alone” claim survives scrutiny.

By GlobalDeskNews Staff