‘Israeli’ passenger on flydubai flight says two extra pilots helped land plane

An ‘Israeli’ passenger who helped stop an alleged mid-air attack on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv said the aircraft had two pilots in the cockpit at the time of the incident, with two additional pilots seated among the passengers by chance.

Flydubai flight FZ1073, carrying about 174 passengers (the large majority ‘Israeli’), was en route to Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday, when one pilot stabbed the other and the plane plunged roughly 14,000 to 17,000 feet in under two minutes.

Flight data showed the aircraft transmitting emergency codes, including the hijack signal 7500, before it diverted and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

The airline confirmed all passengers were safe and accounted for.

‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and “apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board.”

He described speaking with an ‘Israeli’ passenger who reported that the aircraft “went into a spin and began to descend” before the passenger and a crew member entered the cockpit and overpowered the attacker while he was attempting to sabotage the systems.

Passenger Yaniv Hayun later greeted by Netanyahu and described by the prime minister as a hero, recounted the sequence in a video released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The pilot who was stabbed was simply very close to the door, so it was hard for us to open it,” Hayun said.

He added that before collapsing, the injured pilot managed to open the door.

“When I entered, I saw the attacker on the instruments, between the two seats. There were no pilots in the seats.” Hayun said he and another man grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him out of the cockpit.

Hayun told Netanyahu the attacker “was trying to wreck the instruments to disable the plane.”

He and other ‘Israeli’ passengers then pinned the man down. With the plane’s nose pointed downward, Hayun said he pulled the controls backward.

“I watch plane crash investigation shows,” he explained to the prime minister.

Listen to Yaniv explain to @IsraeliPM the critical moments of the rescue - a remarkable display of Israeli and Emirati courage. pic.twitter.com/kd5QAeTRfs

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) September 30, 2026

The aircraft began to level, after which a pilot told him he was taking control.

Hayun also noted that two pilots had been inside the cockpit and that, by chance, two other pilots were sitting in the cabin.

Flydubai said in its statement that a reserve crew was on the plane, after which they took control of the plane and landed it safely at Tabuk Airport (TUU), a spokesperson for the airline said.

Netanyahu later identified the stabbed pilot as Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, praising his “extraordinary bravery.”

Despite serious injuries, Machchhar fought back, resisted, and opened the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to overpower the attacker and preventing a catastrophic disaster, according to Netanyahu’s statements.

The captain was taken to hospital in Saudi Arabia; reports indicated he was in stable condition.

The suspect was arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities.

Other passengers described chaos, screams, and a steep dive.

Some said off-duty pilots among the passengers helped stabilize and land the aircraft after the attacker was subdued.

‘Israeli’ fighter jets were scrambled as a precaution.

Passengers were later flown onward to ‘Israel’, where Netanyahu met some of those involved, including Hayun, who still wore a blood-stained shirt.

Investigations by Saudi and ‘Israeli’ authorities continue into the motive.