Wounded Indian captain opens cockpit door, passengers storm in

TABUK, Saudi Arabia | October 1, 2026 | Saudi aviation investigators are examining a serious cockpit incident aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 that forced the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv aircraft to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, after both pilots were injured and passengers and crew reportedly intervened during a violent confrontation in the flight deck.

Saudi Arabia’s National Transport Safety Center (NTSC) has launched a formal aviation safety investigation into the incident. The center said its investigators are coordinating with relevant authorities to establish the circumstances, examine aviation safety aspects and collect information and evidence. The NTSC is Saudi Arabia’s national authority responsible for investigating major transport safety incidents and determining their causes and contributing factors.

The incident involved Flight FZ1073, a flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport on September 30. According to the airline, an altercation occurred in the flight deck and the aircraft was subsequently secured by on-duty flydubai crew members travelling aboard the flight before being diverted safely to Tabuk.

Flydubai said all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for, but stressed that the underlying reasons and motives behind the incident remained unknown and were subject to a formal investigation. The airline urged against premature speculation while authorities gathered the facts.

The Saudi airport authority said its air traffic control center received a distress call from FZ1073 at 8:44 a.m. local time, requesting an emergency landing. An emergency response was activated and the aircraft landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk at about 9:45 a.m.

The flight was carrying 174 passengers. The airport said the captain and first officer were injured and taken to hospital for medical treatment. Passengers were assisted at the terminal while arrangements were made with flydubai for their onward journey.

The aircraft transmitted the international emergency code 7700 and subsequently 7500, the transponder code used to indicate unlawful interference with an aircraft. The emergency signals prompted heightened security measures while authorities assessed the situation.

Israeli officials subsequently provided a more detailed account of what they said occurred inside the cockpit. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and then apparently attempted to crash the aircraft. He said passengers and crew members intervened, enabling other pilots aboard the aircraft to regain control.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack. Those assertions, however, remain official Israeli allegations and have not been established as final findings by the Saudi aviation investigation. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority has specifically warned against circulating unofficial information or anticipating the outcome of the investigation.

Reports from passengers also described a sudden loss of control and a struggle near the cockpit. Israeli media reported that passengers and additional flydubai crew members helped restrain the pilot involved in the confrontation. These accounts are being considered alongside official evidence, but investigators have not yet issued a final reconstruction of the cockpit events.

The injured captain has been identified in reports as Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar. Reports from Israeli media said Machchhar underwent surgery after sustaining stab wounds and was in stable condition. Indian diplomatic authorities were reported to be in contact regarding his condition and family, although his identity and medical status have not been included in the initial public statements from the Saudi aviation investigators or the UAE GCAA.

After the emergency landing, flydubai arranged replacement aircraft to transport the passengers. Tabuk airport said all passengers eventually departed Saudi Arabia aboard an alternative aircraft at about 5:40 p.m. local time, continuing their journey to Israel.

Flydubai subsequently announced a temporary suspension of its flights to and from Israel while the investigation into the FZ1073 incident continues. The airline said the suspension would be reviewed as more information becomes available.

The incident has also triggered investigations beyond the immediate aviation safety inquiry. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority said its teams are coordinating with relevant authorities and examining both the operational and security aspects of the incident. The Saudi investigation is expected to examine the sequence of events, aircraft operations, cockpit procedures and other evidence relevant to determining what happened.

For now, authorities have confirmed the emergency landing, the injuries to both pilots, the safe evacuation and onward travel of all passengers, and the launch of formal investigations. The motive for the cockpit confrontation and the precise sequence of events remain unresolved pending the investigators’ findings.

The Dubai-Tel Aviv route has operated since the establishment of diplomatic and economic ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords. Flydubai began scheduled flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv in November 2020, making the route part of the expanded civil aviation links created after the normalization agreement.

The FZ1073 investigation is now expected to determine whether the incident was solely an altercation between crew members or involved a deliberate attempt to interfere with the safe operation of the aircraft. Until the competent authorities release their findings, the more serious allegations surrounding the incident remain subject to investigation.