‘I pulled the controls’: Hero Israeli passenger reveals he saved flydubai flight thanks to popular TV show

Explainer · flydubai FZ1073 · Sept 30, 2026

How passengers stopped the flydubai cockpit attack

A Dubai–Tel Aviv flight, an injured Indian captain, and the passengers and off-duty pilots who regained control. Investigation ongoing.

01Inside the cockpit02The 14,000-ft plunge03Who did what

How passengers stopped the cockpit attack

Plan view of the front of the aircraft. Positions are illustrative.

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CabinGalleyCockpit ​​​ ​​​ ​​​Capt. Machchhar​Co-pilot​Y. Hayun​Passenger​Crew​Off-duty pilot​Off-duty pilot RESTRAINED​−14,000 FT IN UNDER A MINUTETABUK

1. 01Pilot confrontation
2. 02Machchhar stabbed
3. 03Aircraft plunges
4. 04Cockpit door opens
5. 05Passengers enter
6. 06Attacker restrained
7. 07Off-duty pilots take control
8. 08Emergency landing in Tabuk

01Pilot confrontation

A confrontation breaks out between the two pilots in the cockpit.

AttributedIsraeli officials; flydubai calls it an ‘altercation’

02Machchhar stabbed

Israeli officials say the co-pilot stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar, who ended up on the cockpit floor.

AttributedIsraeli officials, Reuters

03Aircraft plunges

The jet drops nearly 14,000 ft in under a minute.

Confirmed / reportedReuters analysis of flight-tracking data

04Cockpit door opens

Despite his injuries, Machchhar activates the cockpit door release.

AttributedIsraeli officials, Reuters

05Passengers enter

Passengers and a crew member rush into the cockpit.

AttributedIsraeli officials; passenger accounts

06Attacker restrained

Passenger Yaniv Hayun says he put the attacker in a choke hold and pulled him out.

AttributedHayun’s own account

07Off-duty pilots take control

Hayun says he grabbed the controls and pulled; two flydubai pilots travelling as passengers then took over.

Confirmed / reportedHayun; Reuters; flydubai

08Emergency landing in Tabuk

The plane lands safely in Saudi Arabia. Both pilots are taken to hospital.

Confirmed / reportedflydubai; Reuters

​Captain​Co-pilot​Passengers​Crew​Off-duty pilots

Sequence based on accounts from Israeli officials, flydubai and passengers; exact timings have not been made public. Figures are not to scale and positions are illustrative.

The 14,000-foot plunge

From Dubai departure to the Tabuk landing

0k5k10k15k20k25k30k35k​​

34,000 ftCruising altitude before the plunge

Nearly 14,000 ft lostInitial plunge in under a minute, about 2 hr 15 min after take-off

~16,600 ftLowest reading in flight-tracking data

~15,000 ftRecovery: a sharp climb, another descent, then level by 05:33 GMT

0 ftDubai departure · Tabuk landing

1. 03:05 GMT

   Dubai departure

   Bound for Tel Aviv
2. Cruise

   34,000 ft

   Over Saudi Arabia
3. 05:21 GMT

   Rapid descent

   Nearly 14,000 ft in under a minute
4. By 05:33 GMT

   Recovery

   Settles around 15,000 ft
5. Diversion

   Turns towards Tabuk

   Saudi Arabia
6. ~06:58 GMT

   Tabuk landing

   Last tracking signal; landed safely

DUBAITABUK

Sources differ on the exact figures

• Reuters, from flight-tracking data: nearly 14,000 ft in under a minute (initial plunge)
• Flightradar24 data: 34,000 ft to as low as 16,600 ft within about a minute
• Al Jazeera: 33,000 ft to 17,000 ft in about a minute

Who did what aboard FZ1073?

Based on Reuters, flydubai, Israeli officials and passengers’ own accounts

Smit Machchhar

Injured captain · India

• Captain of the flight; stabbed in the cockpit, according to Israeli officialsIsraeli officials, Reuters
• On the cockpit floor, he activated the cockpit door releaseReuters
• In hospital in Tabuk, stable according to initial reportsIndian Embassy, Riyadh

YH

Yaniv Hayun

Passenger · Israel

• Says he put the attacker in a choke hold and pulled him out of the cockpitHayun’s own account
• “I jumped back in there, grabbed the controls, started pulling the controls.”Hayun, as reported
• Says what he knew came from watching TV’s Mayday: Air Crash InvestigationHayun’s own account

Off-duty pilots

flydubai crew travelling as passengers

• Two flydubai pilots on board as passengers took over the controlsReuters
• flydubai says on-duty crew travelling on the flight secured the plane, diverted it and landed it safelyflydubai
• The aircraft landed in Tabuk with 174 people on boardReuters

The co-pilot, the alleged attacker, was arrested by Saudi authorities, according to reports. Motives remain unknown and are subject to a formal investigation, flydubai says.

Sources: Reuters; flydubai; Flightradar24; Al Jazeera; Israeli officials; passenger accounts reported by JNS and Sunday Guardian; Indian Embassy, Riyadh. Photo: Reuters. Map: Natural Earth.

Express InfoGenIE

‘Grabbed attacker and pulled him outside’

“I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him, first and foremost outside,” Yaniv told Netanyahu. He said the attacker was trying to destroy the instruments to disable the plane.

Hayun said he called other Israeli passengers to help restrain the attacker. He then returned to the cockpit and pulled back on the aircraft’s controls as the plane was still descending. When Netanyahu asked how he knew what to do, Yaniv replied: “I watch Air Crash Investigation, Mr Prime Minister.”

He said the plane began to level out before the pilot told him he was taking control. Netanyahu, who described Yaniv as “a great hero”, later shared their meeting on social media.

Yaniv, who neutralized the terrorist pilot, told Netanyahu:
“I pulled the yoke up and stopped the plane’s dive. It’s lucky I had some aviation experience from @MaydayAirCrash series pic.twitter.com/pnInfbxol2

— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) September 30, 2026

‘Wounded captain managed to open cockpit door’

Netanyahu spokesman Doron Spielman said the wounded captain, Smit Machchhar, bloodied and lying on the floor, had drawn on “the last moments of his energy” to click open the release on the cockpit door. The Times of Israel reported, “At that moment, some of the passengers who realised something was happening raced forward, entered the pilot’s cabin. They saw the injured pilot on the ground, and the other… the attacking pilot was standing over the control panel, bashing the control panel,” he said.

According to Reuters, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Machchhar was covered with blood when he managed to open the cockpit door, allowing a second pair of pilots on board to take control of the jet. The plane then landed in Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. All 174 passengers on board are safe, Netanyahu said.

The leaders of Israel and India hailed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar as a hero for saving passengers after he was stabbed by his co-pilot in an alleged attempt to crash a flydubai plane on Wednesday.