Captain Smit Machchhar, the pilot who prevented a potential mass casualty event when his co-pilot allegedly attacked him and attempted to crash their Flydubai flight, has been honored with a UAE bravery medal. Machchhar sustained severe head injuries during the September 30 incident aboard a flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
During the ceremony where he received the UAE's First Class Order of Zayed II from President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Machchhar's visible head scars from surgery were apparent. The pilot suffered a compound depressed skull fracture when co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, 29, allegedly struck him with a crash axe and attempted to seize control of the aircraft. Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing other crew members and passengers to intervene and subdue al-Hammami. The aircraft had plummeted 14,000 feet in just 29 seconds before control was regained.
Al-Hammami, an Omani national, reportedly confessed to planning to crash the plane into a terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. According to a statement from the UAE's Attorney-General Hamad Saif al Shamsi, al-Hammami became influenced by extremist ideology while studying in Australia, where he encountered individuals linked to an Islamic center. His drift towards extremism began around 2017, fueled by extremist literature and online content that glorified terrorist organizations and suicide attacks.
Authorities stated that al-Hammami was inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks, developing a fixation on carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft. He is believed to have acted as a 'lone wolf' extremist.
Following the averted hijacking, the plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Machchhar was taken to a hospital, and al-Hammami was detained. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended Machchhar as a "true hero," and the Crown Prince of Dubai, Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, met with the injured pilot in the hospital to praise his courage. Machchhar's fellow crew members were also awarded bravery medals for their actions during the incident.