IV
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1612
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 5, 2026
Mr. Gottheimer (for himself, Mr. McCaul, and Mr. Bacon) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
RESOLUTION
Honoring Captain Smit Machchhar and the crew and passengers of Flydubai Flight 1073, and condemning the attempted terrorist attack on that flight.
Whereas, on September 30, 2026, Flydubai Flight 1073 departed Dubai International Airport for Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, carrying approximately 174 passengers, the majority of them Israeli citizens, including 4 United States citizens and 27 children;
Whereas, midway through the flight, the first officer attacked the captain on the flight deck with the aircraft’s emergency crash axe and attempted to seize the flight controls, and the aircraft lost more than 14,000 feet of altitude in under 30 seconds;
Whereas Captain Smit Machchhar, a citizen of India, fought off the attack and, despite grave injuries, used his remaining strength to unlock the cockpit door so that off-duty pilots could enter and land the aircraft and so that crew and passengers could restrain the first officer;
Whereas the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia with all passengers and crew accounted for; and
Whereas, on October 3, 2026, the Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates announced that the Emirati investigation had determined that the first officer attempted to carry out a terrorist act: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
honors Captain Smit Machchhar for extraordinary courage in protecting every soul aboard his aircraft;
commends the heroic actions of the off-duty pilots, cabin crew, and passengers who secured the flight deck and brought the aircraft safely down;
wishes Captain Machchhar and all who were injured a full recovery;
condemns the attack on Flydubai Flight 1073 as an act of terrorism and as an attack on the safety of international civil aviation; and
calls for a full and expeditious investigation by the Governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and for the United States and Israel to be kept fully informed.