Flydubai captain stabbed in cockpit, 174 passengers land safely

Published 1 Oct 2026, 09:59 UTC · Updated 1 Oct 2026, 16:45 UTC

An Indian captain was stabbed by his Omani co-pilot, who allegedly tried to crash flight FZ1073. Israel calls it terrorism; flydubai calls it an altercation. Motive unknown.

Reporting as of 1 October 2026. The investigation is ongoing and no motive has been confirmed.

Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot with flydubai, was stabbed in the cockpit of flight FZ1073 and fought on while all 174 people aboard landed safely at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Israel's leaders call it an attempted terror attack. The airline calls it an "altercation".

What happened on flight FZ1073

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the crew sent emergency alerts. Israeli authorities first feared a hijacking, according to Ynet. Flight-tracking data showed a drop of about 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Machchhar opened the cockpit door despite his injuries, and passengers and crew overpowered the attacker, according to the reports. Off-duty pilots then took control and the jet landed at Tabuk.

Who was on board

The flight carried 174 people, most of them Israelis. Fox News reports four Americans were aboard, and Ynet reports 27 children. The Indian embassy says Machchhar is in hospital in Tabuk and stable.

Three labels for one event

Israel's leaders: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot "apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board", as NBC News reported. Defence Minister Israel Katz called it an "attempted jihadist terrorist attack", according to CBS News.
The airline: flydubai said an "altercation occurred in the flight deck". It said the motives "remain subject to a formal investigation" and asked for no "premature speculation".
US outlets: NBC News, CBS News, Fox News and Al Jazeera headlined the stabbing and attributed the crash attempt to Netanyahu. Newsweek's headline says "suspected hijacking" and uses "altercation" in its text.

The co-pilot and what is unproven

An Omani official told CBS News the co-pilot was born in Oman and holds Omani citizenship. Saudi authorities are questioning him. He has not been convicted of anything, so he is described as alleged.

Netanyahu said it was "too early" to say whether Iran was involved, NBC News reported. Trump told reporters he did not know if the account was true, according to Newsweek. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the government of "cheap politics", Al Jazeera reported.

Praise for the captain

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Machchhar a hero, and Netanyahu also praised his bravery. Flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues, according to CBS News.

What we don't know yet

The co-pilot's motive, and whether he will be charged.
Whether this was terrorism, a mental-health crisis or a dispute; reports disagree.
The exact altitude figures; sources differ on how far and how fast the jet fell.

This story was produced with AI assistance and reviewed, edited and verified by the reporter before publication.

Covered by 16 outlets across the spectrum: 31% left, 31% center, 38% right.