Flight Crisis: Passenger Stops Stabbed Pilot Mid‑Air

Wed Sep 30 2026 22:37:49 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Passengers on a Dubai‑to‑Israel flight describe how they stopped a stabbing pilot in mid‑air, turning a terror moment into a survival story.

On a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, a passenger was stabbed by a co‑pilot and tried to sabotage the plane. A fellow traveler, Yaniv Hayun, grabbed the attacker in a chokehold and pulled him out before the aircraft plunged 17,000 feet. Other on‑board crew members teamed up to secure the attacker, while the Stabbed pilot was brought to a hospital and is said to be stable. The flight was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, before passengers were taken to Tel Aviv, where crowds cheered their rescue story. Israeli officials praised the passengers as heroes, while the attacker is being questioned by authorities.

A passenger on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv had to fight for life when another pilot stabbed him and tried to sabotage the aircraft.

In a blood‑stained shirt, Yaniv Hayun told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the plane dropped 17,000 feet in under two minutes. He and others tried to open the cockpit door, but the attacker was too close. Hayun grabbed the assailant, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him out of the cockpit.

After pulling the attacker out, Hayun entered the cockpit again and began pulling the controls. Two other passengers helped pin the attacker down while on‑board pilots moved to regain control of the aircraft.

The stabbed pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, was taken to a hospital and is said to be in stable condition. Israeli officials called the incident an attempted terror attack and hailed the passengers as heroes.

The flight was diverted to Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, then rerouted to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv where the rescued passengers were met with cheering crowds. The attacker is now arrested and being questioned by Saudi authorities.