&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘A terrorist job...’: Trump reacts to Flydubai cockpit attack, hails Indian pilot: What he said")
US President Donald Trump has reacted to the mid-air attack aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 and said that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about it. Flydubai flight FZ1073 which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv with roughly 150 to 180 mostly Israeli passengers, experienced a violent, rapid dive, plunging between 14,000 and 17,000 feet in under two minutes. This happened when Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash the plane.
Addressing the media, Trump said that he spoke with Netanyahu regarding the harrowing mid-air attack and described the attacker as “perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job.” Trump said, "I spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu about this incident. It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot. The pilot was in very bad shape. But in a way, he was a hero to open the door."
He also called the Captain a hero. Trump said that Netanyahu had told him that Machchhar, an Indian national, was in "very bad shape" after the attack. "The pilot was in very bad shape; I guess he still is in very bad shape, but he had the sense to, amazing, to, in a way he was a hero," Trump said, recalling his conversation with Netanyahu. Trump also praised the passenger’s “amazing” intervention to subdue the attacker. Appreciating the Israelite who intervened, Trump said that “an Israeli plumber with virtually no flying experience sprang into action” as the aircraft was plunging toward the ground," Fox News reported.
Earlier, India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, also praised the pilot’s valour. "In the skies above, courage held the line. We salute Captain Smit Machchhar, the brave Indian pilot of flight FZ1073, who stood with the courageous people on board and turned an unthinkable tragedy into a safe landing. Our prayers are with him for a swift and full recovery," Kwatra stated on X.
What happened?
As the aircraft plunged, flydubai Flight FZ1073, the aircraft's cockpit transponder sent code 7500, the universal aviation signal for an unlawful interference or hijacking. This alerted neighboring air traffic sectors, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, that the aircraft’s command systems were actively compromised. Despite suffering injuries, Indian pilot managed to unlock the cockpit door. A passenger identified as Yaniv Hayun, alongside others, overpowered and restrained the co-pilot. A reserve crew consisting of a second pair of flydubai pilots who happened to be traveling aboard the flight took control of the aircraft. They safely diverted and landed the plane at Tabuk Regional Airport (TUU) in Saudi Arabia.
Hailing the pilot, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs hailed Captain Machchhar as a hero and said that the Captain fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit and despite severe injuries, managed to unlock the cockpit door. In a post on X, "This man is a hero. Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain of flydubai Flight 1073, fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit. Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door - allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers. Together, their extraordinary courage saved 174 lives. Indian. Israeli. Emirati. Different nationalities. One extraordinary act of courage. We wish Captain Machchhar a full and speedy recovery."
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Who is Captain Machchhar?
Captain Machchhar is a seasoned pilot who currently flies as a direct-entry Captain with UAE-based carrier Flydubai. A veteran in the cockpit, Captain Machchhar brings over 13 years of commercial aviation experience, with an impressive log of 9,750 total flying hours, predominantly operating Boeing 737 (B737) aircraft. Prior to joining Flydubai, he had a distinguished 11-year tenure with an Indian airline, where he served as a Line Training Captain.
