Flydubai Plane News | Captain Smit Machchhar Suffers Skull Fracture; Emergency Surgery In Saudi

Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, had suffered a 'skull fracture' after his Omani co-pilot attacked him with a 'crash axe' inside the cockpit of the plane, which was carrying more than 170 passengers and crew, sources told NDTV. The 38-year-old captain fought through the pain and rapid blood loss and managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing crew members and passengers to rush inside, overpower the co-pilot, and assist in stabilising the aircraft. Later, the flight made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Sources said that Machchhar suffered a 'depressed fracture -- fragment of skull' during the attack and underwent emergency treatment in Saudi Arabia, where doctors reconstructed his skull, before he was flown to the UAE.