flydubai pilot suffered depressed skull fracture while fighting off co-pilot who attacked him with axe

Captain Smit Machchhar's heroic effort to save flydubai flight FZ1073 has acquired another dimension with details emerging of the serious injuries he suffered while fighting off his co-pilot, Hammam al-Hammami, who attacked him with an axe inside the cockpit, Times of India reported.

Sources close to TOI said Machchhar suffered a depressed fracture of the skull, in which a fragment of the skull is pushed inward towards the brain. He is learnt to have undergone emergency surgery in Saudi Arabia before being flown back to the UAE for further treatment.

Also Read: A fight in the cockpit, a plunge from 33,000 feet: Inside the FlyDubai mid-air crisis


Dr (Air Cmde) Krishan Kumar Yadav, senior clinical director and professor of neurosurgery and neuro-spine surgery at Marengo Asia Hospitals, said a depressed skull fracture is a serious injury that requires careful surgical intervention.

"A depressed skull fracture is serious. Put simply, a piece of the skull has been pressed inward toward the brain. During surgery, doctors make a careful incision, lift or remove the pressed-in fragment, and check the protective membrane around the brain for tears. They clean the area, repair any damage, and then either replace the bone or reconstruct it. It is delicate work, but it is work we are trained for, and many patients do very well afterwards," he told TOI.

The Indian embassy in the UAE said on X on Tuesday that Machchhar was continuing to recover.

"Capt Smit continues to make steady progress and is regaining his health. The embassy remains in close touch with his family, doctors and local authorities, extending all possible assistance. We thank everyone for their prayers & wish him a speedy recovery."

Dr Yadav said recovery from such an injury can take time and may involve periods of fatigue, headaches and difficulty concentrating.

"Recovery is not a straight line. The first days are quiet ones: rest, careful monitoring, and keeping him comfortable. Then, bit by bit, strength returns. There will be good days and slower ones. Headaches, tiredness, or trouble concentrating are common while the body heals, and they don't mean something is wrong," he said.

Also Read: flydubai horror: Co-pilot planned attack before being hired by airline, two Israeli officials say

Machchhar has previously recounted how the attack unfolded in the cockpit.

Speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said the flight had initially been routine and that al-Hammami had asked to pray.

"It was a normal flight, and the co-pilot wanted to pray, which a lot of locals do. While he was praying, out of respect, I just looked at the front and not at the back."

Around four or five minutes later, Machchhar said he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head. His first instinct was that something had gone wrong with the aircraft.

"After about four or five minutes, my first thought was damage to the aircraft and something is not right. But then the blow kept coming, one after the other. And that's when I realised that it's not the aircraft, it's the other guy who was in the cockpit with me."

Machchhar said he tried to stop the co-pilot but was already badly affected by the initial blows.

"I did try to stop him, but because of his initial blows, my vision was almost like nothing. And I was completely blurred out," he said.

It was then that he realised the aircraft was descending sharply, adding another layer of urgency to his fight to regain control of the plane.

The captain's condition has since improved, with the Indian embassy saying he is making steady progress. His recovery comes after what was a critical intervention in the cockpit, as he fought through severe injuries to prevent the aircraft from being brought down.