Plunging 4,000 Meters in 30 Seconds... Indian Pilot Prevents Plane Crash

The Indian pilot who prevented a disaster after engaging in a fierce struggle despite being seriously injured by a weapon wielded by a co-pilot attempting to intentionally crash an Israel-bound passenger plane has been confirmed as a veteran with nearly 10,000 flight hours.

According to Indian daily Hindustan Times, Reuters, and AP, among others, on October 1, the pilot stabbed by the co-pilot during a flight the previous day aboard a flydubai passenger plane—a United Arab Emirates (UAE) low-cost carrier (LCC)—was identified as Sumit Machar, an Indian national.

Originally from Mumbai in western India, he had been working as a captain operating Boeing 737 passenger planes for flydubai since June 2022.

Previously, he worked for 11 years at SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior captain, and from November 2020, he also served as a line training captain evaluating other pilots.

He has a total of 9,750 hours of flight experience, including operating Boeing's next-generation aircraft family such as the 737-800 from the 737 NG (Next Generation) series, as well as the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 models.

During the flight the previous day, after the co-pilot stabbed Machar with a weapon, the passenger plane plunged about 4,267 meters in a short span of less than 30 seconds, and the two engaged in a violent struggle.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that when Machar opened the release button to open the cockpit door, the floor was already covered in blood.

Subsequently, passengers and crew entered the cockpit through the opened door to subdue the co-pilot, and two other flydubai pilots onboard landed the passenger plane in Saudi Arabia.

At the time of the incident, there were 174 passengers onboard the passenger plane, including 166 Israelis.

The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia stated that Machar, who suffered severe stab wounds, was receiving treatment at a hospital in Tabuk, a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia, and that his condition was relatively stable.

Prime Minister Netanyahu highly praised Machar for saving the passengers despite being stabbed inside the cockpit of a flying aircraft.

Writing on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, he said, "Even though he was seriously injured with stab wounds, he fought back and resisted," adding, "He opened the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to subdue the attacker."

He emphasized, "He prevented a fatal mid-air disaster," and "He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens."

Earlier the previous morning, on a flydubai passenger plane departing from Dubai, UAE, and heading to Tel Aviv, Israel, an incident occurred where the co-pilot stabbed the captain, Machar, with a weapon and caused the aircraft to sharply descend.

Afterwards, the passenger plane turned its nose toward Tabuk Airport and safely made an emergency landing.

While part of the rudder on the tail of the aircraft was damaged due to the impact of the rapid altitude drop, all passengers were confirmed to be safe.

Israeli authorities believe that the co-pilot attempted to take control of the passenger plane and crash it along with all occupants, local Channel 12 reported.


(Photo: Capture from India NDTV website, capture from social media X, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.