The dramatic battle inside the cockpit of Flydubai FZ1073 – The thousand-foot plunge, the passengers who rushed forward and the injured Smit Machchhar who refused to abandon his aircraft
Report | Greek News & Radio FL
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 – Updated October 1, 2026
For most passengers, the flight had begun like hundreds of others.
Flydubai FZ1073 had departed Dubai for Tel Aviv. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 had climbed to an altitude of approximately 34.000 legs and for more than two hours nothing foreshadowed what was to follow.
And then, within seconds, everything changed.
The plane began to lose altitude rapidly.
According to flight data cited by Reuters, the aircraft lost more than 14.000 feet — about 4,3 kilometers — in less than 30 secondsThe Associated Press, using a different rendering of the data, describes a drop from about 33.000 to 17.000 feet in about a minute. In any case, it was an extremely steep descent.
The people in the cabin did not yet know what was happening behind the reinforced cockpit door.
The passenger Almog Italy, later speaking to Reuters, described how he initially thought the plane had hit extreme turbulence. The plane descended, stabilized, and then began to lose altitude again. He then saw passengers and crew members moving toward the front of the cabin.
The battle inside the cockpit
What was revealed next was much more serious.
According to Israeli authorities, the co-pilot attacked the aircraft's captain, the Indian pilot. Smit Machchhar, seriously injuring him and attempting to take control of the Boeing.
Israeli authorities claimed that his goal was to crash the aircraft. However, by the time 1 October, the motive is still under investigation. Flydubai itself has warned against jumping to conclusions, while the United Arab Emirates has opened an official investigation to determine whether there was a terrorist motive, prior planning or other cause.
There is still uncertainty even about the weapon. Initial reports suggested a knife, while the AP reports that it has not been fully determined whether a knife or another object found in the cockpit was used.
However, one element is repeated in the testimonies and official updates:
The captain was seriously injured, bleeding and lying on the cockpit floor.
And there the move that seems to have changed the course of the case took place.
Hand towards the door switch
Despite his injury, Machchhar managed to activate the unlocking mechanism of the locked cockpit door.
The door opened.
It was the moment when the isolated battle of the two pilots turned into a battle of the entire cabin for survival.
Passengers and crew members rushed to the cockpit. According to Reuters, a passenger managed to restrain the alleged attacker. The agency has also verified video from inside the aircraft, taken after the collision, which shows two injured and bloodied men on the floor.
The passenger Yaniv Hayun, one of those who intervened, described after his return to Israel how he ran to the cockpit during the sharp descent. He said he helped push the attacker away and, for a few critical moments, pulled up on the control to help stabilize the aircraft.
And then the second crew appeared
On board the flight, as Flydubai confirmed to Reuters, was: company's reserve pilot crew.
After the alleged perpetrator was brought under control, these pilots took over the Boeing.
The plane stabilized.
The course has changed.
Instead of Tel Aviv, it headed to northwestern Saudi Arabia and its airport. tabooFlight data shows that emergency signals were activated during the incident, while the aircraft's course showed significant changes.
The Boeing finally landed safely.
Flydubai announced that all passengers were safe and accounted for and that it is cooperating with the competent authorities in investigating the incident.
"We thought we were falling"
The images from the cabin paint a very different picture than the cold language of the announcements.
Voices.
People moving in the corridors.
Blood.
Passengers trying to figure out if it's a mechanical failure, a hijacking, or something worse.
Videos taken by passengers capture the panic and the moments immediately after control was regained. One of the videos verified by Reuters shows injured men in the cabin, while other footage shows passengers saying they have the situation under control.
Almog Italie remembers that the scariest part didn't last long, but it felt much longer. Most passengers, he said, tried to stay calm and help each other.
And when the wheels finally touched the runway of Tabuk, what followed was relief.
Medical teams were waiting at the airport. The injured pilots were taken to hospital. Machchhar remained in Saudi Arabia for treatment, with the Indian embassy later reporting that his condition was stable.
The remaining passengers were later transferred to Israel on another plane.
Who is Smit Machchhar?
Smit Machchhar is an Indian pilot from Mumbai. According to Reuters, he had worked for more than eleven years at SpiceJet before joining Flydubai.
His actions prompted public comments from both the Israeli Prime Minister and Benjamin Netanyahu as well as by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
Netanyahu said Machchhar's reaction allowed passengers and crew to intervene and spoke of 174 people Modi described his reaction as an act of great courage, noting that he continued to act despite his serious injury.
The big question: why?
This is the point at which reporting stops and investigation begins.
An Israeli official has reported that the co-pilot is an Omani national, but this information has not yet been independently confirmed by Omani authorities.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates announced on October 1 that they were investigating the circumstances, motives and whether the incident was terrorist-related or premeditated. So far, no final conclusions have been made public.
And that's why the most serious journalistic formulation today is not that "we know why it happened."
It is that we know what happened in those crucial seconds — but not yet why.
A captain was found bloodied on the cockpit floor.
A Boeing with more than 170 people on board began to lose thousands of feet.
A door that should normally remain locked has opened.
Passengers and crew boarded.
A second crew took over operations.
And a plane that for a few seconds seemed headed for disaster, landed.
174 people, according to the count cited by Netanyahu, reached the ground alive.
And at the center of this story is a severely injured pilot who, instead of surrendering to the pain and bleeding, found the strength to make one more move:
to open the door.
Sources and videos
- Reuters – passenger testimonies, verified video, descent data and backup crew: Reuters: A pilot brawl, then a rapid descent
- Reuters – update October 1, UAE investigation and motives: Reuters: UAE launches investigation
- Associated Press – detailed flight reconstruction and safety issues: AP: What to know about the FlyDubai flight
- Official announcement Flydubai: Flydubai statement on FZ1073
- Euronews video of the incident and developments: Euronews Video
- Video passengers with a sticker ensures Indian Express: Indian Express – passenger videos
- Video from the cabin published by NDTV: NDTV – panic onboard FZ1073
Editor's note: The descriptions of a "terrorist attack" and the assessment that there was an intention to crash come from Israeli officials. The official investigation into the motive is still ongoing and Flydubai has asked to avoid premature conclusions.
photo Greek News FL
