In a harrowing mid-air emergency that authorities are now investigating as an attempted act of terrorism, the co-pilot of a Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv attacked the aircraft’s captain with an onboard emergency crash axe, causing the plane to plunge 17,000 feet before passengers and crew managed to overpower the assailant and land the aircraft safely. The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general confirmed the nature of the weapon used in the assault, clarifying key details surrounding an incident that brought the Boeing jet carrying more than 170 passengers and crew within moments of potential catastrophe over the Middle East.
The routine flight had departed Dubai International Airport bound for Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Approximately two and a half hours into the journey, while cruising at high altitude, the aircraft suddenly entered a violent and steep nose-dive, losing 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) of altitude in a matter of seconds. Flight tracking and aviation communication systems recorded the plane broadcasting transponder code squawk 7700, indicating a general emergency, before rapidly updating its signal to squawk 7500—the international aviation code designating "unlawful interference" or an active hijacking taking place on board.
Inside the main cabin, passengers experienced extreme gravitational forces and overwhelming panic as the aircraft plummeted toward the earth without warning. Almog Itali, a passenger on board the flight, recalled the terrifying sequence of events during an interview with the BBC, describing how the aircraft suddenly felt as though it had transformed into a plummeting amusement park ride. Itali explained that the plane began to drop down rapidly like a roller coaster, subjecting everyone in the cabin to massive G-forces. He noted that the aircraft fell rapidly for 20 to 30 seconds before momentarily balancing out, only to begin falling sharply once again. As the terrifying descent continued, passengers realized that an active crisis was unfolding in the cockpit and began rushing toward the front of the aircraft to render assistance.
Crucial to the survival of everyone on board was the quick thinking and sheer determination of the flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, a veteran pilot from India. Captain Machchhar was stabbed and critically injured during the initial unexpected assault inside the flight deck. Lying wounded on the cockpit floor, Machchhar recognized that the aircraft had been put into a steep dive and was rapidly losing altitude. Realizing that the plane was sinking and that catastrophic failure was imminent unless intervention occurred, Machchhar summoned his remaining strength. He later recalled telling himself that he had to make one final push to unbolt and open the locked cockpit door from the inside, an action that allowed passengers and off-duty crew members in the main cabin to breach the flight deck and confront the attacker.
The initial warning inside the passenger cabin was raised by an Israeli traveler, Tali Manes, who heard a violent commotion and distress sounds emanating from behind the locked flight deck door, according to statements confirmed by Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Responding immediately to her alarm, four men on board—her husband Zvika Manes, Yaniv Hayun, Dr. Shota Musayev, and Asaf Rajuan—rushed to the front of the aircraft. As soon as Captain Machchhar managed to release the interior door mechanism despite his severe physical injuries, the men pushed their way into the cockpit to find a chaotic scene.
Upon entering the flight deck, Yaniv Hayun witnessed the co-pilot actively attempting to destroy the flight instruments and navigation controls in what appeared to be a deliberate effort to disable the aircraft completely and make recovery impossible. In video footage released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, Hayun detailed the intense physical struggle that ensued inside the cramped cockpit. Hayun immediately locked the attacker into a chokehold and physically dragged him away from the flight controls and out into the main aisle of the passenger cabin. Once the assailant was pulled out of the flight deck, several other passengers joined in to pin him down firmly on the floor, securing him for the remainder of the flight.
Before fully stepping away from the flight deck controls, Hayun took immediate emergency measures to stabilize the aircraft’s trajectory. Recognizing that the plane was still descending dangerously, Hayun pulled back on the primary flight controls, helping the jet to level out its steep dive. At that moment, another trained pilot on board took over control of the flight deck. Two reserve pilots who were traveling on the flight immediately assumed command of the Boeing aircraft, successfully restoring order, stabilizing the flight path, and diverting the plane to a safe emergency landing in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
Following his capture and restraint by the passengers, the subdued co-pilot exhibited erratic and violent behavior, yelling out to the surrounding cabin crew, "Kill me, kill me!" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referenced these dramatic statements during an interview with Fox News, noting that the assailant’s open demands to be killed indicated a suicidal motivation aligned with an intention to bring down the commercial airliner. Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that it appeared very likely the individual was attempting to destroy the aircraft and added that the attacker had underwent radical Islamist indoctrination prior to the flight.
In a separate interview with CNN, Prime Minister Netanyahu commended the extraordinary bravery of the wounded captain, the passengers who stormed the cockpit, and the reserve flight crew who stepped in to navigate the plane. Netanyahu remarked that their collective, split