A catastrophic aviation disaster was averted on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) after the passengers and crew foiled a flydubai flight co-pilot’s attempt to crash the aircraft.
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passengers → avert → aircraft
The pilot who staved off the crash attempt was identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar, while an Israeli passenger made a dramatic intervention to steady the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight which landed in Saudi Arabia.
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which → stave → Arabia
The passenger, identified as Yaniv Hayun by Israeli media, claimed that he knew some basic concepts about flying from watching the television programme, Air Crash Investigation!
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he → identify → programme
How TV show helped a passenger
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who hailed Yaniv as a hero, spoke with the passenger after the ordeal.
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who → help → ordeal
Netanyahu’s office released a video showing the prime minister at Ben Gurion Airport giving a hug to Yaniv Hayun, who his office said “broke into” the cockpit.
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office → release → cockpit
“I see you and I see a lion – a big hero,” Netanyahu told the man, who was still wearing the blood-stained shirt he had on during the flight.
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he → see → flight
In the video that is now being widely circulated online, Yaniv is seen describing the events to the PM.
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Yaniv → circulate → PM
Recounting the incidents that happened on the cockpit of the fateful flight, the passenger said that he saw one pilot on the floor and the other over the controls.
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he → recount → controls
He said he grabbed the co-pilot by neck and yanked him out of the cockpit.
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he → say → cockpit
Then he jumped in and pulled the controls.
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he → jump → controls
When a visibly surprised Netanyahu asked whether he knew how to pull the controls, the passenger replied in the affirmative.
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passenger → ask → affirmative
“Because I watch Air Crash Investigation,” he was quoted as saying by i24 News.
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he → watch → News
The Canadian TV documentary series Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation, chronicles flight-related disasters and crises, including air crashes, hijackings, bombings, and other aviation accidents.
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series → know → crashes
The show, which uses cockpit recordings and eyewitness testimony, features dramatic re-enactments of the events in the flight as it seeks to find out what really happened.
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what → use → flight
First premiered in 2003, the series has 26 Seasons and is available to watch on JioHotstar in India.
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series → premier → India
What happened on flydubai flight cockpit
The flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, had transmitted emergency signals and made a sharp descent before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Tabuk.
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flight → happen → Tabuk
The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
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flight → carry → children
The co-pilot’s attempt to crash the aircraft was foiled in the struggle that began when he stabbed the pilot and sent the jet plunging nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.
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jet → crash → seconds
Passengers and crew entered the cockpit, overpowered the co-pilot and enabled a second pair of flydubai pilots who were aboard the flight to land the jet safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Israeli officials said.
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officials → enter → Tabuk
More than 10 hours later, the passengers arrived at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport aboard a flydubai replacement aircraft, with several describing the episode as a miracle and recounting a frantic struggle to prevent a catastrophe.
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several → arrive → catastrophe
Israeli officials said the attacker’s motive aboard flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv remained under investigation.
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motive → say → investigation
Israeli officials also applauded the passengers, who they credited with avoiding a much more serious disaster
Describing the event as “a serious security incident,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said Saudi authorities would interrogate the co-pilot.
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authorities → applaud → pilot
Mr. Netanyahu also hailed the Indian Captain Smit Machchhar, who was wounded in an altercation with his copilot.
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who → hail → copilot
Describing him as a “true hero”, Mr. Netanyahu said that “despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster.”
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he → describe → disaster
Flydubai said in a statement that the underlying reasons for the event remained unknown and warned against “premature speculation.”
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reasons → say → speculation
An Israeli official identified the co-pilot as an Omani national.
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official → identify → national
The Aporia
