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Flydubai pilot recounts cockpit stabbing in call with Indian PM Modi

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Cite

Al Jazeera Staff. (2026, October 2). Flydubai pilot recounts cockpit stabbing in call with Indian PM Modi. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/2/flydubai-pilot-recounts-cockpit-stabbing-in-call-with-indian-pm-modi?traffic_source=rss

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Al Jazeera · collected 2026-10-02 · by Al Jazeera Staff

Quick Summary

Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed by his co-pilot during a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, spoke publicly with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about how he managed to open the cockpit door and let passengers take control despite being injured. The flight, carrying 174 people, briefly dropped nearly 17,000 feet before regaining stability, landing safely in Saudi Arabia after a second crew took over. Machchhar credited his survival to divine intervention and his aviation experience, while Modi praised his bravery for saving lives and upholding the reputation of Indian pilots.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency and was diverted to land at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The incident initially raised concerns about a possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble warplanes. However, Israeli officials later reported that the emergency signals were due to a physical altercation between the plane's two pilots rather than a hijacking attempt.

The flight, identified as Flydubai Flight FZ1073, transmitted multiple emergency alerts after takeoff and over Jordanian airspace before landing safely in Saudi Arabia. Passengers on board managed to overpower the attacker, who was later identified by UAE officials as Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami. Al-Hammami allegedly attempted to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's airport but was stopped by passengers.

UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi stated that signs of al-Hammami’s radicalization first emerged in 2017 while he was studying engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He reportedly became influenced by extremist literature and online content glorifying terrorist organizations during this period.

Written for “Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 345 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Flydubai Hijacker's Radicalization Path
Crime & Law · 346 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar opened cockpit door while being attacked by co-pilot during attempted hijacking Same event
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
FlyDubai captain stabbed mid-flight by "radicalized" co-pilot speaks out Same event
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 66/100
'The last push': FlyDubai captain Smit Machchhar recounts harrowing cockpit attack Same event
ABC News (US)
Hedges 1 of 27 claims Outlet record 70/100
'It breaks you': Friend of stabbed pilot speaks out Same event
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 7 of 30 claims Outlet record 68/100
‘I can't let anyone die’, flydubai pilot tells India PM Modi Same event
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 61/100
FlyDubai captain describes fight for his life after attack on flight to Tel Aviv Same event
ABC News (US)
Hedges 2 of 21 claims Outlet record 70/100
Dentist recalls crucial 45 minutes that helped save flydubai hero Captain Smit Machchhar Same event
Times of India
Hedges 2 of 43 claims Outlet record 59/100
Netanyahu hails stabbed Indian pilot of flydubai plane Same event
The Straits Times
Hedges 1 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
Smit Machchhar: Who is the Indian flydubai pilot hailed a ‘hero’ Same event
The Hindu
Hedges 3 of 19 claims Outlet record 60/100
FlyDubai pilot describes opening cockpit door during attack Same event
Al Jazeera
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 60/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
16
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
60/100
Al Jazeera's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
346
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-02 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Al Jazeera · 4637 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
2026-10-03
Tennessee prisons official resigns after Christa Pike’s failed US execution
2026-09-30
Indonesia suspends five officials over luxury apartments for inmates

Who wrote this

Al Jazeera Staff
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Topics

3Flydubai Abu Dhabi Flydubai Indian Tel Aviv

Subjects

Machchhar PERSON · 5× Flydubai ORG · 4× Indian NORP · 3× Modi PERSON · 3× 3Flydubai ORG · 2× Abu Dhabi GPE · 1× Narendra Modi PERSON · 1× Smit PERSON · 1× Smit Machchhar PERSON · 1× Tel Aviv GPE · 1×

Narrative

Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who 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.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-02
🔮 At that time, I could feel that the aircraft was going down.
2026-10-02 · Al Jazeera
Flydubai pilot recounts cockpit stabbing in call with Indian PM Modi · assertive framing

Claims (16 extracted, 1 hedged)

Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who 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. asserted
passengers → stab → injuries
Speaking on Friday from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi via video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Machchhar said that he knew the aircraft was going down as he lay bleeding on the floor. asserted
he → speak → floor
Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Flydubai stabbing: How safe are planes if a pilot turns violent? - list 2 of 3Who is Capt. Smit, Machchhar, the pilot of the Flydubai flight? asserted
Smit → turn → flight
- list 3 of 3Flydubai co-pilot ‘assaulted’ captain before landing: Initial Saudi probe “I had suffered so many injuries that I had collapsed. asserted
I → assault → injuries
At that time, I could feel that the aircraft was going down. uncertain
aircraft → feel → time
I knew this was the last push, that the door was right there,” he said in a nearly 10-minute video released on the prime minister’s social media channels. asserted
he → know → channels
He added: “I was being hit even then, but I just opened the door and everyone came in.” asserted
everyone → add → door
Machchhar, who has 17 years of aviation experience, including 11 as a captain, said that experience helped him grasp what was happening even while wounded. asserted
what → have → captain
He told Modi he had recited a Hindu devotional prayer during the ordeal. asserted
he → tell → ordeal
“I know God himself saved me,” he said, in an emotional exchange with Modi, who is from the same home state of Gujarat. asserted
who → know → Gujarat
Modi praised Machchhar’s bravery, saying his presence of mind had saved lives and the reputation of Indian pilots. asserted
presence → praise → pilots
Machchhar said 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. asserted
pair → say → Tabuk
The Flydubai flight was carrying 174 people as it briefly plunged around 17,000 feet (5,180 metres) before it was brought back under control. asserted
it → carry → control
UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash has called the incident a “terrorist act”, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination” and appeared “suicidal”. asserted
pilot → call → indoctrination
US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran would be “hit very hard” if found to be linked to the attack. asserted
Iran → warn → attack
The United Arab Emirates has said it will launch an investigation into the incident. asserted
it → say → incident
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