The flydubai flight plunged thousands of feet before passengers and crew intervened and the damaged aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL— Passengers and crew aboard a flydubai flight bound for Israel subdued a co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain and trying to crash the aircraft Wednesday, helping avert a disaster as the jet plunged sharply before making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The confrontation unfolded aboard flight FZ1073, which was traveling from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv with 174 people aboard. Israeli officials and passengers said the co-pilot attacked the captain in the cockpit and the aircraft entered a rapid descent. People aboard forced their way into the cockpit and overpowered the alleged attacker, while other qualified crew members helped regain control of the plane. The aircraft later landed at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Flight-tracking data showed the Boeing 737 Max 8 descending from about 33,000 feet to roughly 17,000 feet in about a minute during the emergency. Other reporting based on flight data described a drop of nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds during the most severe part of the descent. Aviation safety experts said the forces involved were extreme and expressed surprise that the aircraft remained controllable.
Passenger Yaniv Hayoun told reporters that he and others entered the cockpit during the emergency and found the pilots away from their seats. Hayoun said he grappled with the alleged attacker and then grabbed the aircraft’s controls before other crew members took over. Another passenger, dentist Shota Musayev, said those who intervened believed they had only seconds to act. Musayev then helped care for the injured captain.
The captain was identified by Israeli officials as Smit Machchhar, an Indian citizen. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said he was hospitalized in stable condition. Israeli emergency services said three passengers were treated for minor injuries after returning to Israel. Passengers described a chaotic scene aboard the aircraft as it descended, with people initially unsure whether severe turbulence or another emergency was underway.
The suspected attacker, identified by Israeli officials as an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia after the emergency landing. His motive remained under investigation. Israeli officials described the episode as a suspected terrorist attack, but authorities had not publicly established a motive. The United Arab Emirates’ civil aviation authority also opened an investigation into the security incident.
Flydubai said the aircraft was secured by on-duty crew members who diverted and landed it safely. The airline suspended flights to and from Israel while the incident was investigated. The passengers later continued to Israel aboard another flydubai aircraft and arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport Wednesday evening.
The incident also raised questions about how a weapon could have been brought into the cockpit and how the aircraft remained intact during its rapid descent. Aviation experts said the plane sustained serious damage, including the loss of much of its rudder. The rudder is a control surface on the aircraft’s tail that helps pilots control its direction. Investigators had not publicly explained by Thursday how the damage occurred or how a weapon allegedly used in the attack reached the cockpit.
Saudi, Emirati and Israeli authorities were examining the circumstances surrounding the attack, including the alleged assailant’s motive and the security failures that may have preceded it. All passengers ultimately reached Israel, while the injured captain remained under medical care and the suspect remained in Saudi custody as the investigation continued.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 1, 2026.