Guwahati: When Captain Smit Machchhar took the controls of flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, he was a veteran with more than a decade in the cockpit. By the end of the day, he was being called a hero by the prime ministers of India and Israel.

What happened on board

According to Israeli officials, a violent confrontation broke out in the cockpit of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 mid-flight. They allege that the co-pilot stabbed Machchhar in an attempt to bring the aircraft down. Reports say the jet lost nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds.

Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar reportedly managed to open the cockpit door. That let crew and passengers get in and restrain the other pilot. The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where Machchhar was taken to hospital.

The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said he was in stable condition.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him a “true hero.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X that “Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO.”

A career he never planned

Machchhar grew up in Ghatkopar East, Mumbai. According to Reuters, aviation wasn’t his childhood dream. He was expected to join the family textile business, studied textile engineering, and later did management studies at Mumbai’s Welingkar Institute.Then, at 19, he got interested in flying, which reportedly worried his mother.He trained as a pilot in New Zealand and joined SpiceJet in Mumbai in 2011.

Career at a glance

Machchhar spent about 11 years with SpiceJet, where he rose to Senior Commander and Line Training Captain, mentoring younger pilots. His LinkedIn profile lists more than 6,400 hours as pilot-in-command there. In June 2022 he joined flydubai as a Direct Entry Captain on its Boeing 737 fleet. Altogether, he has more than 13 years of commercial flying experience and about 9,750 hours on the Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8/9.

Family and life in Dubai

A passenger who spoke to him after the incident said he is a 39-year-old father of two who lives in Dubai. His brother is reportedly also a pilot, flying with Akasa Air, and has reportedly joined flydubai as well. A former colleague described him to PTI as a “good person” and a senior pilot.