Passengers on Flydubai Flight Mainstay: They Subdued Attacker Who Stabbed Pilot

Wed Sep 30 2026 22:28:44 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Passengers aboard a Flydubai flight to Israel recount how they subdued an attacker who stabbed a pilot en route, with officials calling it a terrorism attempt.

On a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, a passenger described how he and others subdued a pilot who stabbed a colleague and was attempting to disable the aircraft. The attack caused the plane to drop 17,000 feet before the assailant was removed and the crew regained control. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the passengers as heroes, while the incident has been labelled a suspected jihadist attack by officials. Authorities are investigating the attacker’s motives, and the injured pilot has been treated and is stable. Passengers later disembarked at Tabuk and were brought back to Israel amid a tense but hopeful welcome.

During a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, passengers on Flydubai Flight FDK215 recalled how they intervened when one of the pilots stabbed the other and attempted to sabotage the aircraft.

According to accounts shared with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the aircraft dropped 17,000 feet in under two minutes, creating a nightmare scenario for those on board.

A passenger named Yaniv Hayun described hearing a scream and seeing the emergency lights flash before the plane plunged. He and others swiftly tried to force open the cockpit door, but the injured pilot was positioned too close to it, preventing easy access.

Hayun says he entered the cockpit and encountered the attacker bent over the instrument panel, “trying to destroy the instruments to disable the plane.” He then pinned the assailant and pulled him clear of the cockpit.

After securing the attacker, two additional passengers joined Hayun, “holding the attacker down so he could not escape.”

While the crew regained control, two pilots who were seated in the passenger cabin later moved into the cockpit and directed the emergency landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu lauded the passengers as “great heroes” and “lions,” while Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an “attempted jihadist terror attack.”

The stabbed pilot, Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, is reported to be in stable condition after treatment at a local hospital.

Passengers later transferred to a repatriation flight back to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, where crowds welcomed them with music, dancing, and Israeli flags.

Investigations continue, with Saudi authorities interrogating the attacker and officials seeking to determine the motive behind the violent act.

Repercussions for civilian travel and security protocols at airports worldwide remain under scrutiny as authorities assess the adequacy of onboard safeguards and passenger training for emergency situations.