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Flydubai Co-Pilot Takes Control After Attack, Lands Safely

By Drooid · Oct 18, 2026, 10:25 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar opened the cockpit door after his co-pilot attacked him.
The co-pilot seized control, causing the Boeing 737 to lose about 17,000 feet in under a minute.
The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, with all 172 passengers and crew surviving.
The co-pilot allegedly planned to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

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Story summary

Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar opened the cockpit door after his co-pilot attacked him.
The co-pilot seized control, causing the Boeing 737 to lose about 17,000 feet in under a minute.
The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, with all 172 passengers and crew surviving.
The co-pilot allegedly planned to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.