1 hr ago
Israeli Passenger Helps Save Flydubai Flight During Cockpit Attack
A Flydubai plane got into serious trouble while flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
The two pilots had a confrontation in the cockpit.
Captain Smit Machchhar was badly hurt, but he reportedly opened the cockpit door before collapsing.
Passenger Yaniv Hayun and another passenger entered to help.
Hayun pulled the other pilot away from the controls.
He also helped pull back the controls while the plane was descending quickly.
Two off-duty pilots on board then helped fly the aircraft.
The plane landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Investigators are still trying to learn why the confrontation happened.
Yaniv Hayun and another passenger entered the cockpit after injured Captain Smit Machchhar opened its door.
Hayun said he pulled the co-pilot away from the controls while other passengers restrained him and aided Machchhar.
The aircraft plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds during the confrontation, according to flight-tracking data cited by Reuters.
Hayun helped pull back the controls before two off-duty pilots took over and stabilized the flight.
Flight FZ1073 made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia; the co-pilot was arrested while the motive remained under investigation.
- Who
- Passenger Yaniv Hayun, Captain Smit Machchhar, the Omani co-pilot, other passengers, and two off-duty pilots were involved.
- What
- A confrontation in the cockpit caused a rapid descent, and passengers helped remove the co-pilot and stabilize the aircraft.
- Where
- Flydubai flight FZ1073 was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv before diverting to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- When
- Wednesday, with the passengers later returning to Israel; the provided reports identify the arrival date as Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
- Why
- The reason for the cockpit confrontation and the co-pilot’s alleged actions remain under investigation.
Key facts
- Flight
- Flydubai FZ1073
- Route
- Dubai to Tel Aviv
- People aboard
- 174 people
- Rapid descent
- Nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, according to flight-tracking data cited by Reuters
- Emergency landing
- Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
- Captain
- Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who was seriously injured
- Passenger helper
- Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun
- Investigation
- Saudi authorities arrested the Omani national identified as the co-pilot; the motive had not been established
Quotes
Yaniv Hayun
Israeli passenger who intervened during the Flydubai cockpit crisis
“He was an absolute hero”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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