'He Was In A Very Bad Shape': Trump Calls Indian Pilot Smit Machchhar A 'Hero' After Flydubai Incident

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday hailed Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar, calling him a “hero” for resisting a knife attack by his co-pilot and helping prevent him from crashing the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding the Indian pilot was in a “very bad shape”.

“The pilot was in very bad shape; I guess he still is in very bad shape, but he had the sense to, amazing, to, in a way he was a hero,” Trump said.

Describing the sequence of events, he recalled his conversation with Netanyahu and said that the pilot opened the cockpit door, managed to fall back and “scream for help”.

Trump says an Israeli plumber who had never flown a plane saved the

Flydubai plane earlier today by “lifting up a stick.” pic.twitter.com/zNDHbbEs6f

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 30, 2026

“It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot,” Trump said.

Indian Captain Smit Machchhar, who was reportedly stabbed during the fight, fought back against the co-pilot and helped prevent what could have been a “9/11-style” attack, according to multiple media reports.

The US president said the aircraft later landed in Saudi Arabia after an Israeli passenger stepped up to intervene in the altercation and helped overpower the cockpit. He described the passenger as a plumber with no flying experience.

He said other pilots and security personnel then reached the cockpit of the aircraft and took charge.

‘Amazing Intervention By Passenger’ 

Trump went on to describe what he called an “amazing” intervention by the passenger. Revealing the sequence of events, he said the man entered the cockpit, pulled the co-pilot out of his seat, throwing him backwards. After this, he said, other passengers helped restrain him and avert what could have been a major tragedy.

The US president said the Israeli passenger had learnt some basic ideas about flying by watching the television programme Air Disasters.

“He said he watches it a lot, and he learned from watching that show sort of how to fly,” he said.

The Flydubai aircraft was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, after Smit Machchhar and some passengers helped restrain the co-pilot before authorities on ground intervened and took control of the plane.

Israel is treating the incident as a “terrorist attack”, with an investigation underway into the reasons behind the cockpit fight and the motive of the co-pilot.