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UAE Probe Targets Co-Pilot Motive After Crash Attempt

By Drooid · Oct 2, 2026, 10:05 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Machchhar Thwarts Crash

Captain Smit Machchhar thwarted a co-pilot’s alleged crash attempt on September 30, 2026.
The Boeing 737-Max descended 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet before landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The flight carried 174 passengers, including 27 children, all of whom survived.
Machchhar was stabbed and seriously injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Machchhar a hero, saying 140 crore Indians salute him.

Summary

UAE Launches Probe

UAE authorities have launched a formal probe into the co-pilot’s motive and possible terrorist links.
Investigators will analyse cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders to reconstruct the attack’s exact sequence.
The co-pilot, an Omani national, is alleged to have undergone radical Islamist indoctrination.
Israel deployed fighter jets while two off-duty pilots stabilised the aircraft before landing in Tabuk.

Summary

SpiceJet Backs Family

Residents gathered outside Machchhar’s Mumbai home, waving Indian flags and displaying his photographs.
Devotees performed prayers and havan at Delhi’s Kalkaji Temple and Varanasi’s Shri Kashi Vishwanath.
SpiceJet posted a tribute praising his courage and pledged support for his family.
Reporters met his aunt and uncle in Mumbai, who said the family anxiously awaits medical updates.

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Machchhar Thwarts Crash

Captain Smit Machchhar thwarted a co-pilot’s alleged crash attempt on September 30, 2026.
The Boeing 737-Max descended 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet before landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The flight carried 174 passengers, including 27 children, all of whom survived.
Machchhar was stabbed and seriously injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Machchhar a hero, saying 140 crore Indians salute him.

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