While the co-pilot emerged as the villain of the episode, two individuals stood out as the real heroes: the flight’s captain, Smith Machchar—an Indian national who was stabbed—and Yaniv Hayun, a 50-year-old Israeli businessman. Details regarding the co-pilot (the “villain” of the incident) and his motives remain unclear. It has been confirmed that he is an Omani national and likely intended to hijack or crash the flight. Various agencies are investigating the background of his suicidal intentions.
Captain Smith Machchar, who thwarted the co-pilot’s dangerous plans, suffered significant blood loss. He was taken to a hospital in the city of Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. He is recovering rapidly.
Captain Smith Machchar is being praised worldwide. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed him as a “real hero.” Netanyahu wrote on the social media platform X that Machchar saved the lives of 174 people and averted a “major mid-air disaster.”
US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the pilot was in a “very bad condition” but showed presence of mind by opening the cockpit door during the attack. “Amazing; in a way, he was a hero for opening the door. He managed to step back and open the door.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that despite being critically injured, Machchar displayed “great courage and determination to save the lives of others.” In a post on X, he wrote, “His bravery saved hundreds of lives and averted a major tragedy.”
How the incident unfolded:
Flydubai flight FZ1073, bound for Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, departed from Dubai International Airport in the UAE at 03:05 GMT (07:05 local time) on Wednesday. There were 174 passengers on the flight, most of whom were Israeli.
According to foreign media reports , citing data from the flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the aircraft descended rapidly while flying over Saudi Arabia, approximately two and a half hours after takeoff. Around 05:21, it dropped more than 17,000 feet (5,000 meters) in less than two minutes.
At 05:40, the aircraft—which had briefly entered Jordanian airspace—turned back toward Saudi Arabia, where it subsequently began a manual descent for landing.
Less than an hour later, the plane reverted to Squawk 7700.
Initial local media reports, citing Israeli officials, mentioned a dispute between the two pilots; however, following the incident, Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed subsequent reports stating that one pilot had stabbed the other and then “apparently attempted to crash the plane.”
He recounted that an Israeli passenger described how the “plane started spinning and descending,” prompting the passenger and a crew member to enter the cockpit and “subdue the pilot who had committed the stabbing.”
According to location data, the plane was diverted to Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed at 06:58.
What happened inside the aircraft:
While the story told by radar and data might seem straightforward, the sequence of events unfolding inside the aircraft was unimaginable for the 174 passengers on board. Yaniv Hayun, a 50-year-old Israeli citizen, revealed the harrowing truth, he was not merely an eyewitness and a victim but emerged as the hero who turned the tide and ensured a safe outcome. Together with three other Israeli passengers, he subdued the co-pilot of Flight FZ1073, who had attacked the captain with a knife. Subsequently, Yaniv Hayun pulled up on the jet’s controls to level the aircraft.
Hayun, who runs a sewage pumping company, was traveling on this flight with his wife and two daughters. He recounted the events after arriving at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel.
He said, “We realized an attack was underway when a woman screamed, ‘He’s been stabbed!’ and the plane began to shake. At that very moment, I rushed toward the cockpit; the plane had started to nosedive. Despite being stabbed, the pilot had managed to open the cockpit door before likely losing consciousness. We pulled him out. Just then, another person joined me inside. I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and dragged him out.”
Hayun explained that he then returned to attend to the plane’s unattended flight controls. Meanwhile, another pilot among the passengers, James—who is likely a British national—took control of the aircraft.
Who is Smith Machhar?
Smith Machhar is an experienced pilot. Originally of Gujarati heritage, he grew up in Mumbai, where his parents still reside. In 2008, he enrolled at ‘Mainland Air,’ an aviation college in Dunedin, New Zealand. Three years later, he joined the Indian airline SpiceJet as a commercial pilot. In 2022, he moved to Dubai and joined flydubai as an experienced pilot. Mainland Air CEO Philip Kean told the BBC that he remembers Machhar as someone who remained calm even in difficult situations. Kean said, “We trained him for forced landings—scenarios that are very rarely encountered.” “That was quite some time ago, but he was known as a good and honest employee.”
According to Smith’s LinkedIn profile, he has over 9,750 hours of flying experience, including more than 6,400 hours as ‘pilot-in-command’.
It was not just Mainland Air CEO Philip Kean; Smith’s previous employer, SpiceJet, also issued a statement describing him as a “hero” who saved “countless lives.”
