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The Saudi Interior Ministry announced that its initial probe into the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 found the co-pilot had assaulted the captain during the journey from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Both pilots sustained multiple injuries and received hospital treatment in Tabuk before Saudi authorities returned them to the UAE accompanied by an Emirati security team the next day. The ministry’s statement marked the first official Saudi comment on the event that unfolded on September 30, 2026, when the Boeing 737 made a safe landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport.
Israeli officials described the assault as an attempt by the co-pilot to crash the aircraft after it began a rapid descent that saw the plane lose more than 14,000 feet in under a minute according to flight tracking data. The wounded captain managed to unlock the cockpit door despite his injuries allowing passengers and crew members to enter the flight deck subdue the attacker and stabilise the aircraft. A video from inside the cabin verified by news outlets showed the bloodied pilots on the floor with one passenger identifying the three-stripe epaulette wearer as the co-pilot.
The captain was identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar who has received widespread praise for his actions from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and aviation officials. Machchhar an experienced pilot who joined flydubai in 2022 after more than a decade with SpiceJet in India underwent surgery and was reported in stable condition. Israeli statements highlighted how his efforts in the final moments prevented what could have been a major disaster for the flight carrying around 170 passengers the majority of them Israeli.
UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi ordered a formal investigation through the Public Prosecution to examine the full circumstances and motives behind the cockpit altercation. The inquiry will assess whether the incident had any links to terrorist activity prior planning or external direction according to reports from the state news agency WAM. Israeli intelligence personnel assisted Saudi authorities in the initial stages of the probe with some accounts noting a request for the suspect to face further questioning in Israel.
Flydubai confirmed that an altercation had taken place in the flight deck and that on-duty crew travelling as passengers successfully secured the aircraft before diverting it to the nearest suitable airport. The carrier deployed two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to transport all passengers and the remaining crew onward to Tel Aviv later that evening with everyone accounted for and safe. The airline has urged against speculation while the investigations continue and has cooperated fully with Saudi and Emirati authorities.
The event has drawn attention to cockpit security measures in commercial aviation with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority classifying it as a security incident that was brought under control. Flight data indicated the aircraft transmitted emergency signals including a code associated with unlawful interference during the critical phase of the descent. Saudi officials have not released the co-pilot’s nationality though multiple outlets have reported him as Omani and joined the airline less than a year before the flight.
