From textile engineering to cockpit hero: Indian pilot wins praise after flydubai drama
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar is being hailed as a hero after preventing a flydubai jet crash caused by his co-pilot mid-air. Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar managed to alert the crew, allowing passengers to intervene and land the plane safely.
Why it matters
The incident underscores critical aviation safety protocols and the extreme risks posed by insider threats in commercial air travel.
For Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, aviation was never part of his childhood dreams.
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar smiles in an unidentified location in this undated handout image released on Sep 30, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Israel Foreign Ministry)
NEW DELHI: For Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, hailed as a hero for averting a crash of a flydubai jet bound for Israel, aviation was never part of his childhood dreams.
Machchhar had his sights set on the family's textile business until the aviation bug bit at the age of 19, which scared his mother.
Now, even after thousands of hours of flying, Machchhar's love of aviation is something he keeps in the cockpit, reluctant to discuss with those on the ground.
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