A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent confrontation between its two pilots, with the aircraft reportedly entering a rapid descent before passengers and crew intervened. Flight FZ1073, carrying around 180 passengers, landed safely at Tabuk, where both pilots were taken to hospital.The pilot who was stabbed has been identified in Indian media reports as Indian Captain Smit Machchhar, a flydubai captain based in Dubai. His Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked him and tried to take control of the aircraft, according to Israeli officials. The incident initially raised fears of a hijacking and prompted Israel to scramble fighter jets. Israeli authorities later said they did not believe it was a conventional hijacking but are probing it as possibilty of a “terror attack”.The incident has since triggered a wider security review, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering authorities to “ramp up” security on both Israeli and foreign carriers operating to and from the country.
What we know
Indian pilot intevened to stop copilotThe pilot who was stabbed during the confrontation has been identified as Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national and the pilot in command of FZ1073, according to an Israeli journalist.Machchhar has been a flydubai captain since June 2022 and previously spent more than 11 years with SpiceJet, where he served as a senior commander and Line Training Captain. He has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience on Boeing 737 aircraft and had reportedly logged more than 9,500 flying hours during his SpiceJet career, including more than 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command.Meanwhile, Israeli media and officials have identified the other pilot as an Omani national. According to the account given by Netanyahu, the co-pilot stabbed Machchhar and then apparently tried to crash the aircraft.Also read: ‘Indian-origin’ pilot stopped Omani co-pilot from crashing planeRapid descentThe incident unfolded as the aircraft was approaching Israel. Flight-tracking data showed a sharp drop in altitude during the confrontation, with reports saying the aircraft lost around 14,000 feet in less than a minute. The aircraft also suffered damage to its tail rudder, as per Times of Israel.Netanyahu said the aircraft went into a spin and began to dive after the confrontation in the cockpit.“During the flight as they approached the country one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot,” Netanyahu said in a video address. “Apparently he tried to crash the plane with its occupants.”The aircraft also transmitted emergency signals during the incident, including a transponder code associated with unlawful interference, according to reports. The signals initially raised fears that the aircraft had been hijacked.Passengers and crew intervenedNetanyahu said passengers and crew members managed to enter the cockpit after the aircraft began to dive and subdued the pilot who had allegedly attacked the captain.“I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane went into a spin and began to dive,” Netanyahu said. “He told me that somehow he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members and together they neutralized the stabbing pilot while he was trying to sabotage the aircraft’s systems,” he added.“Another air crew that was on the plane entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the plane,” he stated further.He also praised those who intervened, saying: “I salute these heroes who showed exceptional resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster.”Read more: Netanyahu orders tighter security on Israeli, foreign carriersFlight diverted to Saudi ArabiaThe Boeing 737 was diverted from its route and landed safely at Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia. Both pilots were taken to hospital following the incident, while passengers were later continued their journey to Israel on a replacement aircraft.Flydubai confirmed that an incident had occurred during the flight and said its teams were working with the relevant authorities. The airline said all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for.
What we don’t know
Exact motiveThe biggest unanswered question is why the confrontation happened.Israeli officials are investigating the possibility that the co-pilot deliberately tried to crash the aircraft. Reuters reported that Israeli officials were assessing the incident as a possible attempted “terror attack”.However, flydubai has said the underlying reasons and motives remain unknown and are subject to investigation. The airline has not confirmed that the incident was a terrorist attack.Israeli media have also reported other possibilities, including an attempted suicide or deliberate attempt to crash the aircraft. The exact trigger for the confrontation between the two pilots has not been publicly established.Where did the knife come fromPassenger accounts and Israeli media reports say a knife was used during the cockpit confrontation and that Machchhar was stabbed several times.Yasmin Abukasis said her daughter Miriam, who was on the flight, told her she heard screaming before seeing a man with a knife force one of the pilots to the floor, with blood reportedly visible throughout the cockpit.But authorities have not publicly explained where the knife came from or how it entered the cockpit.That remains a key unanswered question in the security investigation.Read more: Passenger’s mother says pilot tried to kill co-pilot on Flydubai flightHow was Omani co-pilot cleared to fly to Israel?Israeli authorities are also examining how the Omani national was authorised to operate a flight to Israel.Israeli reports said security officials were looking into the clearance process for the co-pilot, given his nationality and the fact that he was operating a flight bound for Israel.Israeli security officials said Israel bars foreign airlines from using pilots on the Tel Aviv route from countries with which it has no diplomatic relations. Meanwhilwe, transport Minister Miri Regev called for all flydubai flights to and from Israel to be halted.It is not yet clear what security checks were carried out on the co-pilot, who authorised him for the Israel-bound flight or whether any screening procedure was breached.A terror attack?The “terror attack” angle remains under consideration but hasn’t been officially stated.Israeli officials have raised the possibility of an attempted terror attack, while some Israeli media reports have described the incident as a possible deliberate attempt to crash the aircraft. But there is currently no publicly established motive explaining why the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar and attempted to take control of the aircraft.This also comes as the incident initially triggered a hijacking response, but Israeli officials later said it was not believed to be a conventional hijacking.