ABC News (US)
· collected 2026-10-04 · by Clark Bentson, Ivan Pereira
An Indian pilot for FlyDubai, Captain Smit Machchhar, recounts his ordeal during a flight to Tel Aviv when his co-pilot allegedly attacked him with a weapon and took control of the plane. During an emergency call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while hospitalized in the UAE, Machchhar described fighting off the attacker and opening the cockpit door despite suffering injuries. Passengers then intervened to help regain control of the aircraft. The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Hamam Al Hammami, has been apprehended; investigations are continuing.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv signaled an emergency over Jordanian airspace, leading it to divert and land at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. The plane had initially transmitted distress signals before switching to codes indicating possible hijacking but reverted back to general emergency alerts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened urgent consultations regarding the incident, with Israel's air force scrambling jets due to initial fears of a hijack attempt. However, security officials later revealed that the alert was triggered by a physical altercation between the pilots rather than a hijacking threat; all passengers were reported safe upon landing.
Written for “Israel Bound Flight Diverted” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 298 other(s) covering the same event.
FlyDubai captain describes fight for his life after cockpit attack on Tel Aviv-bound flight
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captain → describe → flight
"I gave everything that I had, and just went for the door," the pilot said.
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The Indian pilot who was allegedly attacked by his co-pilot during a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv earlier this week is describing the moment he managed to open the cockpit door, realizing he had "one last fight left in me."
Capt. Smit Machchhar spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a speaker phone conversation while the pilot was recovering in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates and the prime minister expressed his gratitude for preventing the co-pilot from harming more people.
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The suspect, who multiple sources familiar with the investigation identified as 29-year-old Hamam Al Hammami, allegedly attacked Machchhar with a weapon inside the cockpit and took the controls of the plane, making it plunge, according to officials.
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Machchhar told Netanyahu the whole thing happened suddenly after the co-pilot requested to pray, which he said is normal during flights, and then a few minutes later he felt a blow to his head.
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he → tell → head
"My first thought was that there was a catastrophic damage to the aircraft, and something is not right.
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something → be → aircraft
But then, after that, the blow kept coming one after the other, and that's when I realized that it's not the aircraft; it's the other guy who was in the cockpit with me," he said in his call with the prime minister.
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he → keep → minister
Machchhar said his vision was blurred from the blows and he felt the plane descend.
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plane → say → blows
Despite suffering wounds from the blade, the captain said he "had that one last fight left in me."
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he → suffer → me
He said he realized 'that if I don't do it, I'm gonna die, and that's when I pushed against everything.
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I gave everything that I had, and just went for the door and opened the door," he said.
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he → give → door
The suspect was stopped after Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to get in fight off the suspect, and take back the controls, investigators said.
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investigators → stop → controls
Yaniv Hayun, who works as a plumber, was the passenger who removed the suspect from the cockpit and initially took the plane controls, crediting a TV show for knowing what to do in a flight emergency.
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He told reporters that he would like to meet Machchhar and thank him in person.
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The captain told Netanyahu that he too would like to return the gratitude face to face.
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Dr. Shota Musaev, a dentist who treated the captain's wounds after he helped to tie up the suspect, also expressed wishes to thank Machchhar in person.
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"We'll say thank you very much for all," Musaev told ABC News.
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Musaev → say → News
The captain told Netanyahu that he too would like to return the gratitude to the dentist face to face.
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he → tell → face
"He saved my life, to be honest," he said.
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he → save → life
The suspect has been taken into custody and the investigation is ongoing.
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investigation → take → custody
Netanyahu told the captain that he is invited to Israel where he said he will be treated as a hero.
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he → tell → hero
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