A Flydubai captain was reportedly stabbed as his Boeing 737 plunged almost 14,000 feet in seconds, leaving passengers facing a terrifying fight for survival at cruising altitude. As Captain Smit Machchhar battled his attacker and helped open the cockpit, passenger Yaniv Hayun, a plumber, was among those who rushed in to help stop the chaos.
The extraordinary chain of events unfolded aboard Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September, with 174 people on board. The aircraft eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after passengers and additional Flydubai crew intervened during the emergency.
The Jet Suddenly Plunged
Flight FZ1073 had been travelling normally before the aircraft suddenly entered a dramatic descent over northern Saudi Arabia. Flight data cited by Reuters showed the jet dropped nearly 14,000 feet in about 30 seconds, turning an ordinary journey into a terrifying emergency.
Passengers described hearing screams and experiencing the aircraft rapidly losing altitude as confusion spread through the cabin. The plane later transmitted emergency signals, including the code associated with unlawful interference, as authorities responded to the unfolding crisis.
The Captain Was Seriously Hurt
The pilot at the centre of the ordeal was identified as Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, who was reportedly attacked by his fellow pilot during the flight. Despite suffering serious injuries, Machchhar fought back and helped make it possible for people outside the cockpit to intervene.
Machchhar also helped open the cockpit door, according to accounts from Israeli officials and passengers. His actions gave passengers and crew a chance to enter the flight deck and confront the attacker while the aircraft was still in serious danger.
A Plumber Rushed Into The Cockpit
Among those who entered the cockpit was Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun, who was later identified as a plumber. He described grabbing the attacker and helping pull him away while others joined the struggle inside the flight deck.
@sbsnews_au Flydubai flight FZ1073 passengers are sharing their experiences following a co-pilot’s alleged attempt to crash the plane after stabbing the pilot. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has credited the Indian pilot of the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, Smit Machchhar, as well as the aircraft’s passengers, with averting catastrophe after the man was attacked by his co-pilot, sparking a fight for control of the aircraft and forcing an emergency landing. Netanyahu said the co-pilot of the flydubai jet had been trying to crash it and kill all its passengers, with Israel’s foreign ministry denouncing the incident as “an attempted terrorist attack” aimed at damaging the country’s relationship with one of its key Middle Eastern partners. Passengers gave similar accounts of the incident, describing rushing to the cockpit after the plane suddenly plummeted, losing more than 5,100 metres of altitude in a minute, according to the Flightradar24 website. Flydubai said all the passengers — of whom 166 out of 174 were Israeli, according to media reports — were safe, adding that the reasons for the altercation were unknown. Find updates on this story @sbsnews_au (link in bio).
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Hayun also said he helped with the aircraft controls after entering the cockpit, describing the moment as a desperate situation where everyone had to work together. His account adds an extraordinary twist to an already frightening story because a civilian passenger suddenly found himself helping during an aviation emergency.
More Pilots Were Already Aboard
The rescue did not depend on one person alone. Reports say another team of Flydubai pilots happened to be travelling on the aircraft and later helped take control and stabilise the Boeing 737.
That detail became crucial once the immediate struggle inside the cockpit was brought under control. The additional crew members were able to help with the aircraft and ultimately bring it safely towards Tabuk, turning a chaotic passenger flight into a coordinated emergency response.
The Plane Landed In Saudi Arabia
The aircraft diverted from its route and made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport, commonly known as Tabuk Airport. Both pilots were taken to hospital, while Machchhar underwent treatment and was later reported to be in stable condition.
The passengers were eventually transported back to Israel after spending hours in Saudi Arabia. Despite the violent confrontation and dramatic loss of altitude, all 174 people aboard survived, although the incident left several people requiring medical attention.
My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 30, 2026
Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air…
The Investigation Is Still Underway
The motive behind the cockpit attack remains under investigation, and officials have offered differing early assessments of what happened. Israeli officials have discussed the possibility of an attempted attack, while Flydubai has urged people not to speculate while authorities establish the facts.
The hijacker (and co-pilot) on board FZ1073 stabbed Cpt Smit Machchhar, an Indian national during the flight, but the Captain heroically managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing.
— יוסף חדאד - Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) September 30, 2026
His quick thinking saved over 170 lives today and enabled the passengers to subdue the… pic.twitter.com/nBoCWgcOOK
For now, the clearest picture is of a crisis stopped by several people working together: an injured captain who fought back, passengers who entered the cockpit, a plumber who helped confront the attacker and additional pilots who helped recover the aircraft. Flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel while the authorities investigate the incident.
