Flydubai captain describes struggle with co-pilot who attacked him in cockpit

Captain Smit Machchhar, who flew a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, has described how he escaped an attack in the cockpit by his co-pilot and landed the aircraft safely. He spoke from a hospital in Abu Dhabi, where he is being treated.

The flight was a Boeing 737 carrying 182 people from Dubai International Airport to Tel Aviv. According to Machchhar, the co-pilot, an Omani citizen, attacked him with a bladed weapon during the flight, leaving deep cuts and briefly pinning him to the cockpit floor.

Machchhar said the aircraft suddenly entered a steep descent. Aware of the rapid loss of altitude and the danger to those on board, he gathered his strength to get up while the attacker kept striking him. He reached the mechanism to open the armoured cockpit door, letting passengers and cabin crew in. They subdued the assailant.

The plane then changed course and made an emergency landing at Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Passenger Shota Musaev, a dentist, went to the captain's aid. He said the commander had serious injuries and had lost a large amount of blood. Machchhar received initial medical treatment in Saudi Arabia after the forced landing, then was transferred to a hospital in Abu Dhabi, where he remains under observation with his head bandaged and assisted oxygen support.

Israeli authorities said the suspect, an Omani national, was formally detained.