Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar suffered skull fracture, underwent emergency surgery in Saudi Arabia

New Delhi: Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who helped prevent a disaster during the cockpit attack on an Israel-bound Flydubai aircraft, suffered a skull fracture and underwent emergency surgery in Saudi Arabia, according to an NDTV report. The newly reported medical details reveal the severity of his injuries as he continues recovering in Abu Dhabi following the September 30 incident.

Sources cited by NDTV said Machchhar sustained a depressed skull fracture when his Omani co-pilot attacked him with the aircraft’s crash axe. Doctors in Saudi Arabia reconstructed the injured portion of his skull before he was flown to the United Arab Emirates for further treatment.

The latest account adds to earlier reports that Machchhar suffered wounds to his limbs, chest and upper abdomen during the assault aboard Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. NDTV’s earlier medical update said he was receiving specialist care at a military hospital in Abu Dhabi and responding positively to treatment.

Indian diplomatic officials have separately reported improvement in his condition, with the embassy in the UAE saying on Saturday that he remained under excellent medical care and was recovering well. The detailed account of his skull injury comes from sources quoted by NDTV, rather than a publicly released medical bulletin from his treating hospital.

As RNA Media reported after his transfer to Abu Dhabi, the Indian ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, met Machchhar and his family and assured them of assistance. India’s diplomatic missions have continued coordinating with local authorities over his treatment and recovery.

Machchhar’s actions during the emergency allowed passengers and crew to reach the flight deck after he had been seriously injured. He managed to open the cockpit door, enabling them to overpower the attacker before other Flydubai pilots travelling aboard took control and landed the aircraft at Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia.

During a video call with the prime minister, Narendra Modi, Machchhar described lying injured on the cockpit floor and recognizing that the aircraft was descending. His account placed the decision to open the door at the centre of the intervention that followed, allowing help to reach a cockpit otherwise inaccessible to those in the cabin.

The UAE authorities have since formally characterized the incident as an attempted-terrorist act, moving the investigation beyond the initial description of a cockpit safety incident. On Saturday, the UAE attorney general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said investigators had established that the co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe and attempted to take control of the aircraft.

A crash axe is emergency equipment normally kept in the cockpit, a detail that explains why the weapon was already available on the flight deck. As RNA Media’s report on the UAE findings noted, investigators are examining physical and digital evidence to establish the motive, the full sequence of events and any connections behind the attack.

The inquiry has also widened to scrutiny of the suspect’s employment history and the checks that preceded his assignment to an Israel-bound service. Associated Press reported that the co-pilot, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, remained in UAE custody after being transferred from Saudi Arabia, while investigators examined reported earlier concerns about extremist views in Oman.

For Machchhar, the emergency interrupted a career built over years of commercial flying, including more than a decade with SpiceJet before he joined Flydubai in June 2022. RNA Media traced his move from textile engineering and an expected role in the family business to pilot training in New Zealand and command of Boeing 737 aircraft.

His intervention has drawn international praise and an announcement by the Gujarat government of the Visisht Gujarat Garima Award and a ₹25 lakh reward. The honour has been announced but has yet to be formally presented, while his medical recovery and the UAE-led investigation continue.