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Flydubai diverts Boeing after co-pilot stabbing captain

By Drooid · Sep 30, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Co-pilot Stabs Captain

Flydubai flight FZ1073 was diverted after a co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the Boeing 737-MAX 8.
Passengers and on-duty crew broke into the cockpit and restrained the attacker, preventing a major disaster.
The aircraft dropped from about 34,000 feet to roughly 17,000 feet in under a minute before stabilising.
Flydubai sent two replacement Boeing 737-MAX 8s to Tabuk to return roughly 180 passengers to Tel Aviv.

Summary

Saudi Examines Clearance

Saudi authorities arrested the Omani co-pilot at Tabuk Airport and are questioning his flight-to-Israel permission.
Saudi investigators are reviewing the Omani co-pilot’s security clearance.
Israeli investigators are examining how Arab-state crew members receive individual security assessments before entering Israeli airspace.
Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian from Gujarat, logged about 9,750 flight hours, including 6,400 as PIC on the 737-MAX.

History

Historical Context

On 24 March 2015 Germanwings Flight 9525, co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed in the French Alps, killing all 150 aboard. The tragedy prompted the European Aviation Safety Agency to issue a temporary rule requiring two crew members in the cockpit, a policy later relaxed but still cited when recent cockpit-security incidents arise.

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Co-pilot Stabs Captain

Flydubai flight FZ1073 was diverted after a co-pilot stabbed the captain and attempted to crash the Boeing 737-MAX 8.
Passengers and on-duty crew broke into the cockpit and restrained the attacker, preventing a major disaster.
The aircraft dropped from about 34,000 feet to roughly 17,000 feet in under a minute before stabilising.
Flydubai sent two replacement Boeing 737-MAX 8s to Tabuk to return roughly 180 passengers to Tel Aviv.

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