A routine commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into a desperate mid-air struggle on Wednesday. A co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain and tried to crash the aircraft. Quick-thinking passengers and the wounded captain intervened just in time, preventing a catastrophic event.
Due to high traffic on this story, please verify you are not a bot to instantly unlock the remaining content. Takes only 5 seconds!
Verify & Continue Reading
Flight 1073 Plummets Over 14,000 Feet in Seconds
Flydubai Flight 1073 carried 174 passengers over the Middle East. Flight data from Flightaware recorded sudden and alarming altitude fluctuations. Beginning around 8:21 a.m. Israel time, the Boeing jet experienced a perilous dive, plunging more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds.
Passengers described the terrifying moments inside the cabin. Yaniv Hayun, a passenger on board, recounted hearing screams and seeing the cabin lights go dark as the aircraft dropped rapidly. Hayun and other travelers rushed toward the front of the plane to investigate the sudden loss of altitude.
Cockpit Struggle and Passenger Intervention
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and official reports, the co-pilot stabbed the flight’s captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, in an apparent act of terror. Despite his injuries, Capt. Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door just before collapsing. This allowed passengers to enter the flight deck.
Upon entering the cockpit, Hayun discovered the captain incapacitated. He saw the attacker tampering with the flight instruments to disable the plane. Hayun immediately grabbed the assailant, placed him in a chokehold, and pulled him out of the cockpit.
“I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him – first and foremost – outside,” Hayun said in a video shared by the Israeli prime minister. “I called out to the Israeli guys with us on the plane… we pinned [the attacker] down to keep him secure.”
Passengers Zvika Meness and others restrained the attacker using zip ties and multimedia headphones. Hayun briefly stepped into the cockpit controls. Drawing on knowledge from aviation documentary programs, Hayun helped level out the aircraft. On-duty pilots resting in the passenger cabin then stepped forward to take full control.
Safe Landing and International Reaction
The aircraft made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Passengers transferred to a repatriation flight bound for Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport. Emotional crowds greeted them with singing, dancing, and Israeli flags.
Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar was hospitalized in stable condition. He received widespread international praise for his extraordinary bravery. Prime Minister Netanyahu hailed both Captain Machchhar and passenger Yaniv Hayun as heroes.
Defense Minister Israel Katz characterized the incident as an attempted jihadist terror attack. Saudi authorities arrested the co-pilot and launched a formal investigation into the motives behind the cockpit assault.
