Kiwi one of two pilots who safely landed flydubai flight after pilot stabbed colleague, tried to crash plane - report
A flydubai flight to Israel was forced into an emergency landing after a pilot was stabbed by a colleague in the cockpit. The injured captain, Smit Machchhar, is credited with heroically unlocking the cockpit door to allow intervention before losing consciousness.
Why it matters
This incident highlights a severe aviation security breach and the critical role of pilot intervention in preventing a potential mid-air disaster.
The pilot who was stabbed in this morning’s flydubai flight bound for Israel, Captain Smit Machchhar, trained in New Zealand for 18 months.
Mainland Air chief executive Philip Kean said the injured pilot was with Mainland Air in Dunedin from 2008 to 2009 and remained as a recruitment agent based in India.
Kean described Machchhar as an “above average” pilot.
“He was a bit of a livewire … it’s just horrific. The main thing is that he’s still alive.
“It’s a long way to drop. It’s lucky it didn’t fall apart; those pilots did a great job at recovering the plane.”
The pair have kept in touch via email in past years.
Kean said he wrote to Machchhar this morning to wish him well in his recovery.
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