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Captain Smit Machchhar was attacked inside the cockpit by his fellow pilot during FlyDubai flight FZ1073, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday
Machchhar also spoke about the way cabin crew are sometimes perceived by passengers, and how that perception changes completely when an emergency strikes. (Screenshot)
Long before he found himself at the centre of a mid-air emergency, FlyDubai captain Smit Machchhar had spoken about a part of flying that passengers rarely think about—what happens when something goes seriously wrong at 35,000 feet.
Hours after Machchhar was stabbed inside the cockpit of FlyDubai flight FZ1073 and passengers and crew stepped in to help him, an old podcast in which he spoke about the importance of cabin crew is going viral.
“When we are up there and something happens, who’s going to save you?” Machchhar says in the podcast. “You’ll be lucky enough to have a doctor on board… but if not, then…”
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He goes on to make a point that has taken on an unusual resonance after the September 30 incident. “They (crew) may not be trained to do surgeries but they can save your life,” he says.
Machchar also spoke about the way cabin crew are sometimes perceived by passengers, and how that perception changes completely when an emergency strikes. “It is unfortunate how the outlook of people is towards the crew but when things are going wrong, you need them,” he said.
In the FlyDubai emergency, those words played out in a way Machchhar could hardly have anticipated.
The People Who Stepped In When He Needed Them
Machchhar was attacked inside the cockpit by his fellow pilot during FlyDubai flight FZ1073, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
ALSO READ | ‘Head, Hands Sliced Open, Almost Severed In Two’: Dentist Recalls Stabbed FlyDubai Pilot’s Fight For Life
The Indian captain was seriously wounded, suffering multiple cuts and heavy blood loss. According to Dr Shota Mosaev, a dentist travelling on the aircraft, Machchhar’s condition deteriorated to the point that his blood pressure began dropping and he lost consciousness. “He was covered in cuts, his head, his hands were practically sliced open, almost severed in two,” Mosaev recalled.
With no hospital or emergency room available at 35,000 feet, the people around Machchhar became his first line of help.
Mosaev treated the wounded captain and worked to control the bleeding. Meanwhile, passengers helped restrain the attacker. “We also tied up the terrorist,” Mosaev said, recalling how the attacker was restrained first with a headphone cord and later with plastic zip ties.
The response was not limited to one person.
Passengers intervened. A dentist provided medical assistance. Off-duty pilots who were travelling on the aircraft also became involved in helping the flight after the cockpit attack.
The same basic principle Machchhar had described in the old podcast—that when something goes wrong in the air, the people already on board can become your only immediate support—suddenly had a very real context.
‘You’ll Be Lucky Enough To Have A Doctor’
Machchhar’s podcast comments were not about his own future ordeal. He was making a broader point about aviation and the role of cabin crew during emergencies.
A passenger generally thinks of a flight attendant in terms of meals, boarding assistance or routine safety instructions. But in an emergency, cabin crew are trained to respond to situations that go far beyond those everyday duties.
Machchhar’s observation was simple: a doctor may happen to be travelling on the aircraft, but there is no guarantee one will be. “And if not, then…” he said, before explaining why trained crew can make a difference.
That is precisely what made the resurfaced clip stand out after the FlyDubai incident.
On FZ1073, a medical professional happened to be present. But there were also passengers and crew who responded in the middle of an unfolding crisis, when the captain himself was badly injured.
An Old Warning, A Very Different Reality
There is an irony to the clip now circulating online.
Machchhar had spoken about the vulnerability of everyone inside an aircraft when something goes wrong, and about how quickly the role of cabin crew can become critical. During the FlyDubai incident, he became the person who needed that help.
According to accounts of the incident, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door despite his injuries, allowing people outside to enter. Passengers then helped overpower and restrain the attacker, while Mosaev treated the injured captain. The aircraft was eventually diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar was taken to hospital and underwent treatment for his injuries. He was later reported to be in stable condition.
The podcast clip, therefore, is being watched now not simply as an old comment about cabin crew, but against the backdrop of an emergency in which the people around him became part of the response he had once described.
Sometimes, the most striking part of an old interview is not what was meant when it was recorded, but how differently it sounds after the world has caught up with it.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed and seriously wounded inside the cockpit by a fellow pilot during flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Passengers intervened to restrain the attacker using a headphone cord and zip ties, while a dentist on board provided emergency medical assistance. The flight was diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Ask News18About the Author
Apoorva Misra is an Associate Editor at News18.com with a keen interest in politics and current affairs. She loves uncovering fresh angles and telling stories through long-form features and explainers…Read More
October 01, 2026, 08:24 IST
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