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Flydubai Flight FZ1073: Injured Captain Smit's Heroic Act to Open Cockpit Door Revealed
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News18•01-10-2026, 22:45
Flydubai Flight FZ1073: Injured Captain Smit's Heroic Act to Open Cockpit Door Revealed
- •New revelations emerge regarding the cockpit attack on Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
- •Initially, it was believed that Indian Captain Smit Machhar, despite injuries, opened the cockpit door, allowing crew to subdue the Omani co-pilot.
- •Investigation reveals the cockpit door switch and open button are on the co-pilot's side, meaning Captain Smit had to endure knife wounds to reach it.
- •The cockpit layout places the Captain on the left and the Co-pilot on the right, with door controls often near the co-pilot's seat.
- •After 9/11, armored cockpit doors were installed, designed to prevent outside entry, making Captain Smit's act of opening it from the inside, while fighting an attacker, exceptionally dangerous.
Key Questions Answered
The cockpit door switch and opening button are typically located on the co-pilot's side, which is on the right side of the cockpit.
Injured and bleeding from knife wounds inflicted by the co-pilot, Captain Smit had to cross over to the right side, fight off the attacker, and reach the door control while managing the descending aircraft.
Once Captain Smit unlocked the door, alert cabin crew, passengers, and two off-duty Flydubai pilots rushed into the cockpit, grabbed the co-pilot, snatched the knife, and tied him up before making a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
