Indian captain Smit Machchhar was injured after being stabbed during a cockpit confrontation aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which diverted to Tabuk.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 reportedly descended nearly 14,000 feet before passengers and crew helped regain control of the aircraft.
Both pilots were hospitalised after landing; authorities are investigating the confrontation, possible attempt to take control of the aircraft and the motive.
Indian national Smit Machchhar has been identified as the flydubai captain who was stabbed during a cockpit confrontation aboard flight FZ1073 on Wednesday, as the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight was diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, India Today reported.
Machchhar, who is of Gujarati origin, joined flydubai as a direct-entry captain in June 2022 after spending nearly 11 years with SpiceJet. He worked with the Indian airline from June 2011 until 2022.
According to sources cited by the report, Machchhar is a Boeing 737 specialist with experience in safety and compliance and has also mentored other pilots. He holds a Business Administration degree from Welingkar Institute of Management.
Both pilots were injured in the incident and were taken to hospital after the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk. Flydubai said the aircraft had experienced an incident while en route and confirmed that all passengers were safe and accounted for.
Co-Pilot Allegedly Tried To Crash Plane
The incident occurred while FZ1073 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one of the pilots stabbed the other and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft.
According to Netanyahu, passengers and crew members intervened after the aircraft entered a steep descent and helped bring the situation under control. Israeli officials said the suspected attacker was an Omani national and was arrested after the plane landed in Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu described the episode as a serious security incident and said the passengers and a crew member entered the cockpit after the aircraft began descending rapidly. He said they found the co-pilot interfering with the aircraft's controls.
Israeli officials later said they were investigating the incident as a possible attempted terror attack. However, the circumstances of the confrontation and the motive remain under investigation. Earlier, an official from Netanyahu's office had told Reuters that the incident was not believed to be a hijacking.
Plane Dropped Nearly 14,000 Feet Before Emergency Landing
The aircraft transmitted emergency signals during the flight before diverting to Tabuk. Flight-tracking data cited by Reuters showed the Boeing 737 MAX 8 descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal was transmitted. Other flight-tracking data showed the aircraft falling from around 34,000 feet to below 17,000 feet in roughly a minute.
The aircraft subsequently changed course and landed safely at Tabuk Airport, where both pilots were taken to hospital. Israeli media reported that other pilots travelling as passengers helped bring the aircraft under control.
Initial accounts of the incident differed. Israeli officials first described it as a physical altercation between the pilots and said it was not believed to be a hijacking. Authorities later said they were examining whether the co-pilot had attempted to take control of the aircraft and crash it.
The investigation is continuing, with authorities examining the cockpit confrontation, the sequence of events that led to the aircraft's rapid descent and how passengers and crew regained control of the plane.
