Dubai: A passenger’s television habit became unexpectedly useful when a cockpit attack sent a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight into a terrifying mid air emergency.
A routine flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv turned into a life threatening emergency on September 30 after an altercation in the cockpit left Indian Captain Smit Machchhar injured and the Boeing 737-8 MAX making a rapid descent over Saudi Arabia.
Flight FZ1073, which had departed Dubai International Airport for Ben Gurion Airport, eventually diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. All passengers and crew survived. Flydubai has confirmed that an altercation occurred in the flight deck, while authorities continue to investigate exactly what happened and why.
According to Israeli officials and passenger accounts, the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar with a knife and interfered with the aircraft’s controls. Flight tracking data showed the aircraft dropping by roughly 14,000 feet in less than a minute, during a sequence of steep descents and climbs.
Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to activate the cockpit-door release. Passengers then entered the flight deck and helped restrain the other pilot. Among them was Israeli plumber Yaniv Hayun, who said he returned to the controls while the aircraft was descending.
Hayun later explained that he recognised the aircraft’s primary controls because of his years watching the aviation documentary series Mayday: Air Crash Investigation. He said he pulled back on the control column to help arrest the descent before other pilots travelling as passengers took over.
Two flydubai pilots travelling as passengers subsequently helped secure control of the aircraft. The plane diverted to Tabuk, where the injured pilots received medical treatment.
Machchhar was initially treated in Saudi Arabia and was later moved to Abu Dhabi. India’s ambassador to the UAE said on October 2 that the captain was in stable condition and recovering well.
Saudi Arabia’s preliminary findings said the captain had been assaulted by his co-pilot, leaving both pilots injured. The UAE has launched its own investigation into the circumstances and motives, including whether there was any connection to terrorist activity or prior planning.
The co-pilot’s identity has not been publicly confirmed by flydubai or UAE authorities. Israeli officials have described him as Omani, while investigators continue examining the incident.
For now, the dramatic flight has ended safely but the questions surrounding what triggered the cockpit confrontation remain under investigation.
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