Flydubai Passengers Rush Cockpit as Terrifying Mid-Flight Footage Emerges
Updated 11:56 1 Oct 2026 GMT+1Published 11:53 1 Oct 2026 GMT+1
The motive of the Omani copilot who stabbed his 'hero' captain remains unknown
Horrifying footage has shown the moment passengers ran towards the cockpit on a Flydubai aircraft amid a suspected hijack attempt.
The identity and motive of the Omani copilot who stabbed his captain on the commercial flight to Israel, causing the plane to plummet dangerously and divert to Saudi Arabia, remains unknown as investigators continue the probe.
Israeli passengers on the FlyDubai flight carrying 174 people from the United Arab Emirates to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv have described how the bloodied Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door to let them in.
They they grappled with the copilot before the captain, identified as 'true hero' Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, was left covered in blood and injured after being knifed.
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Smit Machchhar (LinkedIn)
Another passenger, Yaniv Hayun, was among a also helped overpower the attack and prevent the plane from crashing.
He previously said he ‘grabbed the attacker’ and was able to put him in a ‘chokehold’ before dragging him out of the cockpit and calling for two other men to hold him down.
Yaniv said he then went back into the cockpit and ‘pulled the controls’ of the plane, citing his experience watching Air Crash Investigation.
Yaniv Hayun said he knew what to do at the controls after watching it on TV (X/@IsraeliPM)
One of the passengers, Asaf Rajuan, said in a new statement published by Israel’s presidency: “We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn’t know who to turn to. But it was all instinct to survive.”
Saudi and UAE authorities have said little publicly beyond confirming that investigations were under way. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the copilot was arrested.
Footage posted on X shows the moment that a number of passengers gathered together towards the cockpit to try and assist as the chaos unfolded.
Other clips, which LADbible has chosen not to publish, showed members of the crew and passengers helping to treat Captain Machchhar as he lay injured, with blood seen covering the cabin.
Another video shot inside the plane by Shota Musayev, a dentist who treated the captain, shows the copilot on his knees, with his hands tied behind his back.
The co-pilot - who is yet to be identified - is alleged to have tried to crash the busy aircraft in a hijack attempt, but little detail has yet been revealed.
In a CNN interview on Wednesday (30 September), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker was an Omani national and was being interrogated in Saudi Arabia.
US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he and Mr Netanyahu discussed the incident “at length” by phone and that it seemed as though the copilot “was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job”.
The flight made a diversion (Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
Mr Netanyahu said he spoke to the UAE’s president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who agreed that Israel would join the interrogation of the suspect.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the people on board were from Israel, India and the UAE. The US State Department said four passengers had American citizenship.
FlyDubai has said its flights to and from Israel would be suspended while an investigation takes place.
The airline told LADbible: "Following the incident involving flight FZ 1073 on 30 September, and in coordination with the relevant authorities, flydubai flights to and from Israel will be suspended while the investigation continues.
"The safety and wellbeing of our passengers, crew and operations remain our highest priority. This temporary suspension will allow the relevant authorities to continue their work and establish all the facts surrounding the incident.
"We are fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and maintaining the highest safety standards across our network.
"We remain in close coordination with government authorities, regulators and airport stakeholders and will review the suspension as more information becomes available.
"We apologise to passengers whose travel plans have been affected and are working to provide support and alternative arrangements where possible."
Featured Image Credit: X
Topics: Travel, World News, Israel