Who Is Smit Machchhar? Indian-Origin Pilot at Centre of Flydubai FZ1073 Incident

Smit Machchhar, a citizen of India and a former pilot with SpiceJet airline, is confirmed as the captain of the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight FZ1073, where a major cockpit breach occurred on September 30, 2026. The plane then made an emergency landing at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. According to the reports, Machchhar was reportedly injured in the cockpit breach that occurred with his co-pilot. The details of the sequence of events within the cockpit continue to be investigated; however, according to reports, Machchhar reportedly regained control of the airplane.

Professional Career of Smit Machchhar

Before joining Flydubai in 2022, Machchhar used to work with SpiceJet for over ten years. Reports citing information available on his professional career describe him as a professional pilot of the Boeing 737 plane.

According to reports available on his professional profile, he reportedly has about 9,750 flying hours on the Boeing 737 aircraft including Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737 MAX 8/9. During his career with SpiceJet, he reportedly held various operational and training positions.

His professional experience includes the following,

• Operation of Boeing 737
• Crew Resource Management
• Flight Standards
• Compliance with regulations
• Pilot training

What happened to the flydubai flight FZ1073?

There was a violent altercation on board a flydubai flight FZ1073 bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai. The flight tracking information indicated that the plane sent distress signals and rapidly descended towards Saudi Arabia.

Sources indicate that the co-pilot, who was an Omani citizen, physically assaulted the pilot named Machchhar and tried to tamper with the control of the aircraft. While the pilot sustained injuries, passengers and other crew members helped out during the emergency.

The plane, which is Boeing 737 MAX 8, eventually managed to land safely at Tabuk airport in northwest Saudi Arabia. Both pilots were admitted to the hospital upon landing.

Airborne Emergency Transponder Codes 7700 and 7500

This event also put the spotlight on the issue of emergency transponder codes in aviation.

From the flight-tracking information, FZ1073 was first transmitting 7700, which is an international airborne emergency transponder code, then changed to 7500, the emergency code for an incident of illegal interference, which includes a possible hijack scenario.

The 7500 transmission set off heightened security alarm in the region. Nonetheless, the initial information and reports about the situation were mixed up regarding the classification of the incident. Later on, Israel officials considered it as a possible deliberate attack.

The Way the Aircraft Reached Safety

Reuters states that the aircraft descended sharply during the episode with the loss of almost 14,000 feet within 30 seconds. The passengers and one of the crew members were able to break into the cockpit and restrain the co-pilot.

In other versions of events, Machchhar, despite his injuries, was involved in taking control over the aircraft. However, the existing information does not give independent proof of each element of the sequence of events in the cockpit.

Then the aircraft was forced to land at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The airline Flydubai admitted to the incident and reported that everyone was safe.