An Indian captain played a key role in preventing Flydubai flight FZ1073 from crashing, according to reports, after a violent confrontation broke out in the cockpit during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

Israeli officials said the co-pilot, reported to be an Omani national, stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar and then tried to bring the aircraft down. The plane dropped roughly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds.

According to an account cited by Reuters, Machchhar, injured and lying on the cockpit floor, managed to open the cockpit door. This allowed passengers to enter and restrain the co-pilot. Another Flydubai crew member on board then took over the controls and landed the aircraft safely in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Machchhar underwent surgery at a hospital in Tabuk and is reported to be in stable condition. Flydubai and Indian authorities are in contact with his family, and the Indian government said it is supporting him while coordinating with officials in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Machchhar has flown as a Flydubai captain since 2022. Before that, he spent about 11 years at SpiceJet, serving as a senior commander and as a training captain for other pilots. He has logged around 9,750 hours on Boeing 737 aircraft.

The co-pilot was detained by Saudi authorities, and the motive for the attack remains unknown. The full sequence of events is still under investigation, and Flydubai said it will release more details after reviewing the cockpit voice recorder.