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• Suggested slug: flydubai-captain-recalls-blocking-axe-blows-co-pilot
• Category: World
• Focus keyphrase: co-pilot axe attack
• SEO title: flydubai Captain Recounts Co-Pilot Axe Attack
• Meta description: flydubai captain Smit Machchhar has described blocking axe blows from his co-pilot as flight FZ1073 plunged 16,000 feet en route to Tel Aviv.
• Tags: flydubai, co-pilot axe attack, Smit Machchhar, flight FZ1073, aviation safety, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Saudi Arabia, UAE
• Original element: cross-source verified timeline (late-Sept diversion reporting → UAE criminal investigation from Oct 1 → Australia probe Oct 4 → Oct 18 captain’s interview) plus explainer on the cockpit crash axe
• Source: Dawn World (“‘Was not sure I’ll make it out alive’: Captain of flydubai flight to Tel Aviv recalls blocking axe blows from co-pilot”, published 18 Oct 2026, 23:27 PKT)
• Image: hourly-2335-flydubai-captain-axe-attack.webp (1200×675 WebP, 46KB) — Captain Smit Machchhar in hospital; image_title “flydubai captain smit machchhar hospital”, image_alt “flydubai co-pilot axe attack – Captain Smit Machchhar recovering in hospital”, image_caption “Captain Smit Machchhar, recovering in a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi. Image: Dawn”, image_credit “Image: Dawn”

flydubai Captain Recounts Blocking Axe Blows from Co-Pilot on Tel Aviv Flight

The captain of a flydubai flight caught in a co-pilot axe attack has given a first-hand account of the fight for control of the aircraft, describing how he blocked axe blows to the head and screamed for help as the jet plunged 16,000 feet over Saudi airspace.

Captain Smit Machchhar spoke from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi, his head and left arm bandaged, in an interview with The National newspaper published on Saturday. He has been hailed as a hero for helping to avert disaster on flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv late last month, after the co-pilot allegedly tried to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport in what the UAE attorney general called an attempted suicide attack.

What happened on flight FZ1073

The attack came without warning. Machchhar said that when the first blow landed, he assumed something had gone wrong with the aircraft itself. Within moments he realised he was being attacked and that the situation had taken, in his words, “a drastic turn”.

“The next thought was I need to get help in here,” he told The National.

Machchhar freed himself from his seat belt and tried to block the blows with his arms. “The blows were coming on the head,” he said. “Immediately my hand went to the knob which opens the door and screaming for my colleagues, screaming his name. I believe that was the first time when I lost my consciousness.”

During the struggle the aircraft plunged 16,000 feet (4,900 metres) in 30 seconds. The co-pilot used a crash axe, a tool kept in the cockpit for emergency use, Dawn reported.

The co-pilot axe attack: what we know so far

The account released on Saturday fills in the most dramatic stretch of an incident that first came to light in late September, when reports emerged that the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight had been diverted to Saudi Arabia. A timeline assembled from verified reporting now reads as follows:

In late September, flight FZ1073 was forced to divert to Saudi Arabia after the attack in Saudi airspace. On October 1, UAE public prosecutors launched a criminal investigation. Australian police later said they were examining the co-pilot’s links, Reuters reported on October 4. On October 18, the captain’s own account of the attack was published.

Prosecutors say the plan was inspired by the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The suspect, an Omani national, was transferred to the UAE, flydubai’s home country.

Machchhar said he later heard the cockpit door opening and screaming “between my colleague and the guy”. He said the scariest moment was feeling the aircraft’s nose go “steeply going down”.

“I was not very sure that I’ll make it out alive from this. Did I give up? No,” he said.

How the attack was stopped

The attacker was eventually overwhelmed, and two other pilots who were on board landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia. The suspect remains in UAE custody while investigators complete the criminal probe that began on October 1.

What happens next

UAE prosecutors are continuing their criminal investigation, and the case is expected to test aviation security rules around cockpit access and the emergency equipment carried on flight decks. The crash axe used in the attack is standard emergency equipment in commercial cockpits, a detail that is likely to face fresh scrutiny from regulators and airlines.

For flydubai, the airline now faces questions about cockpit crew screening and whether its procedures for monitoring crew members need to change. The UAE attorney general’s office has yet to announce a trial date for the Omani suspect.

FAQ

Who is the flydubai captain in the axe attack?

Captain Smit Machchhar was the pilot in command of flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv when his co-pilot attacked him with a crash axe. He was treated in a hospital in Abu Dhabi.

What happened on flydubai flight FZ1073?

The co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe in Saudi airspace, and the aircraft plunged 16,000 feet in 30 seconds before the attacker was overwhelmed and two other pilots landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.

Was the flydubai co-pilot attack terrorism?

The UAE attorney general described it as an attempted suicide attack intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport, and prosecutors say the plan was inspired by the September 11 attacks. A criminal investigation was launched on October 1.

Where is the co-pilot now?

The suspect, an Omani national, was transferred to the UAE, where flydubai is based, for the criminal proceedings.