Abstract:
FlyDubai Captain Smit Machchhar's actions after being stabbed in the cockpit helped avert a disaster. However, he didn't even initially plan to become a pilot. At the time, he was still working for his family's textile business in India, and an experience later inspired him to join the aviation industry.
Machchhar said in a YouTube podcast in October 2025, "Becoming a pilot was not my first choice. It was not until I attended an aviation conference that I changed my mind." He also recalled that he was nervous about flying for the first time when he was on probation. "Relaxation is the best choice. In this industry, tension cannot solve the problem."
Today, he is praised by leaders around the world for the courage and resilience he displayed when he was attacked in the air by his fellow crew members. The attack once caused the Boeing 737 Max passenger plane to suddenly dive sharply.
U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi all called him a hero because he fought back and opened the cockpit door to the passenger cabin despite being injured in the attack. That allowed passengers on the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight to storm the cockpit, subdue the attackers and take over the controls as the plane plunged more than 14,000 feet (4,300 meters) in 30 seconds at nearly the speed of sound.
The plane then made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia issued a statement on the
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