Archive · 2 Oct 2026
Passenger Credits Mayday After Flydubai Cockpit Crisis Averted
A flydubai plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv had a serious emergency in its cockpit.
One pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar and injured him.
The plane then began dropping quickly, reportedly by about 17,000 feet.
Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing.
Passenger Yaniv Hayoun and others entered and restrained the alleged attacker.
Hayoun then pulled back on the controls to help stop the plane from diving.
He said he understood the controls partly because he had watched the TV show Mayday for years.
Another pilot later took control.
The aircraft landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and the incident remains under investigation.
Flydubai Flight FZ1073 was diverted after one pilot allegedly attacked and injured Captain Smit Machchhar.
The Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight reportedly plunged about 17,000 feet while the cockpit emergency unfolded.
Machchhar opened the cockpit door despite his injuries, allowing passengers and crew to enter.
Passenger Yaniv Hayoun pulled the alleged attacker away from the controls and briefly helped level the aircraft.
Hayoun said years of watching Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation, helped him recognize what to do.
- Who
- Captain Smit Machchhar, passenger Yaniv Hayoun, another alleged attacker identified in some reports as the co-pilot, other passengers and two pilots traveling as passengers were involved; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later spoke with Hayoun.
- What
- A passenger helped restrain an alleged cockpit attacker and briefly operated the controls while the aircraft was descending sharply.
- When
- The incident occurred on a Wednesday; one article specifies September 30, but the articles do not establish a year.
- Where
- The emergency occurred aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv; the aircraft landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- Why
- The flight was diverted after one pilot allegedly attacked another and the aircraft began descending; the circumstances and motive remain under investigation.
Reported Account
Investigation Caveat
What happened in the cockpit
Reported Account
Hayoun said he found the alleged attacker at the controls, pulled him away and helped restrain him while the aircraft was diving.
Investigation Caveat
The reports describe the attack, the alleged attacker’s actions and any attempt to crash or damage the aircraft as allegations; the circumstances and motive have not been established.
Who helped save the aircraft
Reported Account
Hayoun is credited with using his familiarity with aircraft controls from watching Mayday to help level the plane.
Investigation Caveat
The accounts also credit Machchhar with opening the cockpit door despite his injuries, passengers with restraining the alleged attacker and another pilot with taking over the controls.
Identity of the alleged attacker
Reported Account
Several reports describe the person as Machchhar’s co-pilot, and one says Israeli officials identified him as an Omani national.
Investigation Caveat
The alleged attacker’s identity has not been disclosed in the reports, and these details remain reported claims rather than confirmed findings.
- Flight
- Flydubai Flight FZ1073
- Route
- Dubai to Tel Aviv
- Reported people aboard
- 174 people, according to one article
- Reported descent
- Approximately 17,000 feet
- Passenger involved
- Yaniv Hayoun, also spelled Yaniv Hayun in one report
- Injured pilot
- Captain Smit Machchhar, who was reportedly stabbed and hospitalized in Tabuk
- Landing
- The aircraft landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and passengers later continued to Israel on a rescue flight
- Television series
- Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation, a Canadian aviation documentary series first aired in 2003
