By Our Reporter | With reporting from CNN
A routine Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv descended into chaos Wednesday after one pilot was allegedly stabbed in the cockpit, triggering a dramatic struggle involving passengers and crew and forcing the aircraft to divert to Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacked pilot, identified as Indian captain Smit Machchhar, fought back after being assaulted and helped prevent what he described as a potentially catastrophic disaster.
The aircraft, carrying Israeli passengers and families, eventually landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, where passengers were transferred to another flight and later arrived in Israel.
The circumstances surrounding the cockpit confrontation remain under investigation. Flydubai said the aircraft was safely secured by its on-duty crew and that the airline was temporarily suspending flights between Dubai and Israel while authorities establish what happened.
Passengers rush to cockpit as plane plunges
Passengers described terrifying moments after the incident began.
According to flight-tracking data cited in CNN’s reporting, the aircraft lost approximately 17,400 feet in less than two minutes. Passengers initially believed the sudden descent was a mechanical problem or extreme turbulence.
Israeli passenger Assaf Rajuan told CNN that passengers heard that someone had been stabbed and rushed toward the cockpit. He said several passengers and members of the crew helped restrain the alleged attacker.
Rajuan said the injured pilot was found badly wounded and struggling to breathe while a medical professional attempted to treat him.
Another passenger, dentist Dr. Shota Musaev, said he entered the cockpit and found the injured pilot suffering severe blood loss.
Musaev said the captain had numerous cuts and appeared to be in critical condition. He said the pilot eventually lost consciousness and that passengers feared he could die without immediate treatment.
Musaev also helped restrain the alleged attacker, using zip ties and headphone cords, according to CNN’s account.
Passenger says he grabbed the controls
Passenger Yaniv Hayoun separately described taking action after entering the cockpit.
According to his account, he and other passengers confronted and restrained the alleged attacker. Hayoun said he then returned to the cockpit and took hold of the aircraft’s controls as the plane was descending.
He told Netanyahu that he pulled back on the controls to help stabilize the aircraft.
Hayoun said he had no formal experience flying an airliner and credited his familiarity with aviation-disaster television programs for giving him some understanding of what to do in the emergency.
The precise role of Hayoun and other passengers in stabilizing the aircraft remains part of the broader account of the incident. Flydubai said its on-duty crew ultimately diverted and landed the aircraft safely.
Passengers feared they were going to die
For those in the cabin, the confusion was overwhelming.
Rajuan told CNN that even after the alleged attacker had been restrained, passengers did not know who was in control of the aircraft or where they would land.
“There was nothing but desert beneath us,” Rajuan said, describing fears that the aircraft could be taken to an unknown location or forced down in the desert.
He said passengers began watching crew members closely because they feared the incident could develop into a hostage situation.
“I was terrified for my life and my family’s lives,” he said.
Another passenger, Hila Gaier, said she was travelling with her daughters and partner when the aircraft began experiencing what initially appeared to be severe turbulence.
She described screams throughout the cabin as the plane repeatedly plunged. According to her account, oxygen masks did not deploy as expected, overhead compartments opened and electrical systems and cabin screens stopped functioning.
Gaier said she and her daughters embraced one another and feared they were about to die.
Another passenger, Miriam Ohayon, recalled similar terror, saying she believed the aircraft was out of control and that a crash was imminent.
She told Israeli media that she heard screams and saw a large amount of blood after the cockpit door opened.
Trump discusses incident with Netanyahu
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had spoken with Netanyahu about the suspected hijacking attempt.
Trump praised the actions of the passengers who helped restrain the alleged attacker and stabilize the aircraft.
According to CNN, Trump described the passengers’ actions as extraordinary and highlighted Hayoun’s account of taking control of the aircraft despite having no experience flying a commercial airliner.
Trump also said Netanyahu believed the attacker intended to crash the plane. That characterization remains an allegation and has not been independently established in the information released so far.
Questions remain over who landed the aircraft.
One of the major unanswered questions is precisely who was at the controls when the plane landed in Tabuk.
Flydubai said the aircraft was secured and safely landed by on-duty crew members travelling on the flight.
However, passenger accounts suggested that additional pilots may have been aboard the aircraft and could have assisted in operating the plane.
CNN reported that aviation experts said it is possible for additional pilots to travel on commercial flights when they are being repositioned for another assignment, although such circumstances can vary.
The airline has been asked for further clarification about the sequence of events and the identities of those who operated the aircraft during the emergency.
Passengers eventually return to Israel
After landing in Saudi Arabia, passengers remained there while arrangements were made for their onward journey.
Saudi authorities did not accept an Israeli request to send a military or civilian aircraft to retrieve them, according to CNN’s reporting. Passengers were subsequently flown to Israel on a replacement Flydubai aircraft.
At Ben Gurion Airport, passengers were directed to a dedicated reception area, where medical teams examined those who had been aboard.
A 50-year-old male passenger was taken to hospital with an upper-body injury and was reported to be in light condition.
Flydubai said flights between Dubai and Israel would be temporarily suspended while authorities investigate the incident.
“The safety and wellbeing of our passengers, crew and operations remain our highest priority,” the airline said, according to CNN.
Investigation underway
The incident has prompted questions about how the cockpit confrontation began, how the cockpit door was opened, who controlled the aircraft during its descent and what motivated the alleged attacker.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack targeting Israelis, the United Arab Emirates and the Abraham Accords. That characterization is an Israeli government claim and remains subject to the ongoing investigation.
What is clear from the accounts emerging from the flight is that passengers and crew faced an extraordinary emergency at altitude before the aircraft was diverted safely to Saudi Arabia.
