{
  "id": 11136067,
  "title": "From textile engineering to cockpit hero: Indian pilot wins praise after flydubai drama",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/from-textile-engineering-to-cockpit-hero-indian-pilot-wins-praise-11136067",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-01T07:39:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40442163/from-textile-engineering-to-cockpit-hero-indian-pilot-wins-praise-after-flydubai-drama"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, hailed as a hero for preventing a crash of a flydubai jet bound for Israel, has garnered widespread praise for his bravery. The 39-year-old, who has nearly 10 years of flying experience, was reportedly stabbed mid-air by the co-pilot in an attempt to crash the plane carrying 174 people. Machchhar, who had initially aimed for a career in his family's textile business, discovered his passion for aviation at the age of 19 while attending a seminar. He later trained in New Zealand and joined SpiceJet, where he rose to the rank of line training captain, before moving to flydubai in 2022. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Machchhar a \"true hero\" and said he showed immense courage and unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others despite being seriously injured. The veteran captain, who has logged over 9,750 flying hours, arrived in aviation relatively late and prefers to keep his love for flying separate from his personal life, stating that once he exits the cockpit, he focuses on his duties and moves on.",
  "summary": "NEW DELHI: For Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, hailed as a hero for averting a crash of a flydubai jet bound for Israel, aviation was never part of his childhood dreams. Machchhar had his sights set on the family’s textile business, until the aviation bug bit at the age of 19, which scared his mother. Now even after thousands of hours of flying, Machchhar’s love of aviation is something he keeps in…",
  "key_points": [
    "Indian pilot Smit Machchhar hailed as hero for preventing flydubai crash",
    "39-year-old Machchhar stabbed mid-air by co-pilot to prevent plane crash",
    "Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu calls Machchhar a true hero"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "From textile engineering to cockpit hero: Indian pilot wins praise after flydubai drama",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/from-textile-engineering-to-cockpit-hero-indian-pilot-wins-praise-11104476",
        "published": "2026-10-01T03:41:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "From textile engineering to cockpit hero: Indian pilot wins praise after flydubai drama",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/from-textile-engineering-to-cockpit-hero-indian-pilot-wins-praise",
        "published": "2026-10-01T03:46:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "From textile engineering to cockpit hero: Indian pilot wins praise after flydubai drama",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/from-textile-engineering-to-cockpit-hero-indian-pilot-wins-praise-11107094",
        "published": "2026-10-01T04:07:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Plunged 14,000 feet in 29 secs: How stabbed Indian pilot averted flydubai crash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/plunged-14-000-feet-in-29-secs-how-stabbed-indian-pilot-averted",
        "published": "2026-10-01T05:40:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Times",
        "title": "Indian pilot praised after Flydubai flight emergency",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/indian-pilot-praised-after-flydubai-flight-emergency",
        "published": "2026-10-01T07:22:13.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}