Flydubai pilot recounts cockpit stabbing in call with Indian PM Modi

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Reuters. Published On 2 Oct 20262 Oct 2026.

Key points

• The Flydubai flight was carrying 174 individuals as it briefly plunged around 17, 000 feet (5, 180 metres) before it was brought back under control.
• Machchhar, who has 17 years of aviation experience, including 11 as a captain, remarked that experience assisted him grasp what was happening even while wounded.
• US President Donald Trump has cautioned that Iran would be "hit very hard" if identified to be linked to the attack.
• The United Arab Emirates has remarked it will launch an investigation into the incident.
• Modi praised Machchhar's bravery, saying his presence of mind had saved lives and the reputation of Indian pilots.

Indian pilot Smit Machchhar. This person was stabbed by his co-pilot in an alleged attempt to crash a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, has shared a public account of how he managed to open the cockpit door and let passengers take control of the plane despite his injuries.

Speaking on Friday from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi via video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Machchhar remarked that he knew the aircraft was going down as he lay bleeding on the floor.

"I had suffered so plenty of injuries that I had collapsed. At that time, I could feel that the aircraft was going down. I knew this was the last push, that the door was right there, " he remarked in a almost 10-minute video published on the prime minister's social media channels.

He continued: "I was being hit even then, but I just opened the door and everyone came in."

He informed Modi he had recited a Hindu devotional prayer during the ordeal.

"I know God himself saved me, " he remarked, in an emotional exchange with Modi. This person is from the same home state of Gujarat.

Machchhar remarked he allowed passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot and let a second pair of Flydubai pilots take control and land the plane in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Notably, the Flydubai flight was carrying 174 individuals as it briefly plunged around 17, 000 feet (5, 180 metres) before it was brought back under control.

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked the co-pilot had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination" and appeared "suicidal", UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash has called the incident a "terrorist act".

Notably, the United Arab Emirates has remarked it will launch an investigation into the incident.

In short, flydubai pilot recounts cockpit stabbing in call with Indian PM Modi is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.