How the Injured Flydubai Pilot Saved Flight FZ1073 by Opening the Cockpit

Capt Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot stabbed by his co-pilot on Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, opened the cockpit door during the struggle so passengers could overpower his attacker. BBC

All on board survived. The aircraft had left Dubai and landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

The stabbing happened two hours into the Wednesday flight, according to the latest reporting. BBC The co-pilot stabbed the pilot and sent the plane into a nosedive, a steep sudden drop. BBC The plane fell more than 17,000ft (5,200m) before passengers and crew stopped him.

From his hospital bed, Machchhar said he fought back because he could not let everyone on the flight die. He then opened the cockpit door, letting passengers step in. A reserve crew on board then landed the plane. Reuters

The flight was FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Reuters

Machchhar got a hospital-bed call from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him a 'hero' pilot. BBC

The broader context here is legal as well as operational. The facts involve four states: an Indian captain, a UAE-run plane, a landing in Saudi Arabia, and an Israeli destination. Each will want crew testimony, a check of the aircraft, and passenger accounts. That explains why prime ministers spoke publicly within days.

In my view, two operational points will draw close study. The first is the rapid descent and recovery, with a reserve crew taking control. The second is Machchhar's decision to open the flight deck during an attack, which cuts against the normal rule of a locked and isolated cockpit, like a vault. With all on board alive, investigators have a full set of witnesses to rebuild timing, access, and control inputs from the two-hour mark onward.