Flydubai Captain Recounts Cockpit Stabbing in Call With Modi
Indian captain Smit Machchhar has described being stabbed by his co-pilot on a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv. He gave the account in a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The call came from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi on Friday, October 2, 2026. The video runs nearly 10 minutes and was released on the prime minister's social media channels, according to the account of the exchange. Al Jazeera
Machchhar identified himself as a pilot with 17 years of aviation experience, including 11 years as a captain. He told Modi he collapsed from his injuries and could feel the aircraft going down. He said he recited a Hindu devotional prayer during the ordeal.
The central detail in his account is the cockpit door, the locked barrier between the pilots and the cabin. Machchhar said he managed to open it while being hit. He was covered in blood and on the floor when he did so. Reuters
Opening the door ended the isolation of the cockpit. Passengers and crew came in and overpowered the co-pilot. A second pair of Flydubai pilots who were on board then took control of the aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The flight was carrying 174 people. The aircraft plunged around 17,000 feet (5,180 metres) before it was brought back under control. Machchhar was later moved to Abu Dhabi for treatment.
Modi praised Machchhar's bravery, telling him his presence of mind had saved lives. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also hailed Machchhar as a hero. Netanyahu said the captain displayed "extraordinary bravery" by fighting back after being stabbed.
Official descriptions of the event have already differed in emphasis. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash called the incident a "terrorist act." Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination" and appeared "suicidal." U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran would be "hit very hard" if found to be linked to the attack. The United Arab Emirates said it will launch an investigation into the incident.
To place those early statements in context, each serves a different function. Praise for the pilot centers individual action under extreme pressure. The legal and political labels point toward how states intend to process the case. The investigation announcement establishes procedural ownership.
Looking ahead to what comes next, much will turn on the UAE inquiry and the technical record. The verified facts so far establish a sequence: stabbing, loss of altitude, forced entry, restraint, diversion. They do not establish motive or coordination. The cockpit voice recorder, which captures sounds in the cockpit, flight data, medical findings and witness accounts will be central to testing the early political descriptions against evidence.
The broader context here is diplomatic as much as operational. A Tel Aviv-bound flight, an Indian captain, Emirati jurisdiction, a landing in Saudi Arabia, and public interventions by Indian, Israeli, Emirati and American leaders give the incident immediate cross-border weight. That explains the speed of high-level messaging. It also means findings will be read in several capitals at once, with each looking for implications for crew vetting, cockpit procedures and airspace risk.
