When chaos erupted inside the cockpit of a flydubai flight, Indian flight captain Smit Machchhar fought to save his passengers from an alleged attempt by his co-pilot to take control of the aircraft for a crash attempt. He was joined by four passengers, including a plumber and a bank CEO, who rushed into the cockpit, restrained the alleged attacker and helped bring the plane under control as it plunged towards disaster.
The flydubai FZ1073 flight was going from UAE's Dubai to Tel Aviv in Israel on Wednesday when sent out a call, signaling hijacking, sparking concerns globally on the status of the Boeing midair.
Reports later emerged that the Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, of the flight was allegedly attacked by his Omani first officer in an attempt to crash the flydubai plane.
Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, Machchhar opened the locked cockpit door, which allowed passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot and another pilot among the passengers to take control of the cockpit and land the plane safely.
Both the pilots were taken to hospital after landing in Tabuk. Machchhar, who hails from Mumbai, underwent surgery and is now in stable condition, sources told HT.
As the Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked captain Machchhar and the plane began losing control, Israeli nationals Yaniv Hayun, Zvika Manes, Assaf Rajuan and Shota Musaev each stepped in, according to reports.
{{/usCountry}}As the Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked captain Machchhar and the plane began losing control, Israeli nationals Yaniv Hayun, Zvika Manes, Assaf Rajuan and Shota Musaev each stepped in, according to reports.
{{/usCountry}}Their roles were different - from overpowering the suspected attacker to taking control of the aircraft and treating the wounded captain - but together, their actions helped avert a catastrophe.
Yaniv Hayun: 'I watch Air Crash Investigation'
Yaniv Hayun, reportedly a plumber by profession, was among the first passengers to enter the cockpit. He said the door was not locked when they reached it, something he believes happened because the wounded captain managed to open it before collapsing.
"The captain was very close to the door, and that made it difficult for us to open it," Hayun said, speaking to Israel's Ynet news. "My conclusion is that he managed to open it for us before he collapsed, with tremendous presence of mind."
Inside, Hayun said he found the Omani co-pilot between the seats and saw him attempting to damage the aircraft's controls.
"He was trying to destroy the instruments to disable the aircraft. I grabbed the attacker, choked him and pulled him out. I called the Israelis and told them. We pinned him down," he said.
But Hayun's role did not end there. He returned to the cockpit as the aircraft was still in danger of losing control.
"I jumped back into the cockpit. I watch 'Air Crash Investigation,' so I pulled the controls and the plane began to level out. After that, a pilot who was traveling on the plane told me he was taking control," Hayun added.
Two pilots travelling as passengers subsequently took over and eventually landed the aircraft safely.
"I think because of my children, I behaved the way I did," Hayun said.
Assaf Rajuan: 'The plane was 90 degrees down'
Assaf Rajuan, an insurance agency owner and a tennis enthusiast, was returning from a holiday in Thailand when the flight suddenly plunged into chaos.
"We heard screams from near the restroom. A girl's mother came out screaming, and we understood something had happened to the plane," Ynet quoted him as saying. "It lost control, went down at a 90-degree angle, and we understood there was no control over the aircraft and something had happened."
Rajuan then joined the passengers who rushed towards the cockpit.
"The cockpit door was open and we started seeing the cockpit fill with blood… People went in. There was a guy who got there before me named Zvika Manes. I went in with two other guys and we tried to overpower the attacker, and we succeeded."
The passengers then worked with crew members to keep the suspected attacker restrained.
"We also had help from some of the crew. We managed to keep the attacker neutralised for 50 minutes and land in Saudi Arabia," he said.
Rajuan described the experience as something he is still struggling to process.
"I was in Thailand a few hours earlier, and after that I was in a horror movie," he said. "Of course, it wasn't just me. Bigger and stronger guys than me helped, blocked the doors and decided to go all the way, because life is stronger than anything and we wanted to fight for it. For our families, our children, the crew."
"It's hard to believe it ended this way, but it did," he added. "I saw all the bursts of blood, the cuts, the Indian pilot. I know the plane lost control and plunged. Luckily, the right people were there at the right time."
Zvika Manes: 'We lost our angles'
Zvika Manes, CEO of Bank Leumi's underwriting company, was another passenger who rushed towards the cockpit after hearing the commotion.
"There was a lot of blood. The plane plunged rapidly like you see in horror movies. There were screams. It was a very difficult event until the pilot stabilised the plane," Manes said.
He described the suspected co-pilot's actions as the aircraft rapidly descended.
"We lost our angles. He was really trying to fly the aircraft toward the ground, and people were thrown around and screaming," he said.
Manes helped overpower and restrain the suspect. With the attacker continuing to resist, passengers used cables from the multimedia headphones distributed on the flight to tie him down.
"We later tied him up and neutralised him. It took quite a bit of physical force. He was a strong man, probably full of adrenaline," Manes said.
Manes said a doctor and nurse aboard the flight then turned their attention to the wounded captain, who had suffered multiple stab wounds.
Like Hayun, he also believed Machchhar may have managed to leave the cockpit door accessible despite being badly injured, allowing passengers to enter and intervene.
Shota Musaev: 'I managed to stop the bleeding'
Dentist Shota Musaev initially ran towards the cockpit after hearing the screams. His first instinct was to help restrain the attacker. Once the suspect had been subdued, Musaev turned his attention to the wounded captain.
"The pilot was in very serious condition, with heavy bleeding from his head and hands," Musaev told ynet. "I was the only doctor on the plane. I managed to stop the bleeding, and the pilot was in fairly stable condition until close to the landing, when his condition deteriorated somewhat."
Musaev said the captain remained conscious enough to communicate while lying on the floor.
"The attacker stabbed him and cursed him," Musaev said. "At that moment you don't think, you just act. There were four of us who took control of the entire situation, and if we hadn't, we wouldn't be talking to you."
He said he did not wait to be asked to intervene.
"I saw something was wrong and ran forward. I didn't wait for someone to call me," he said. "I came to fight the attacker when I heard the screams. I didn't come to provide medical treatment. But after we tied him up, I treated the stabbed pilot."
Even after being restrained, Musaev said, the suspect continued trying to break free.
"We tied him several times, both his legs and his hands. He was thrashing around, so we tied him even more tightly. Then he calmed down and understood that he was in our hands," he said.
The captain was later treated by Saudi medical teams. Reports said Machchhar survived and was no longer in immediate danger.
The four passengers did not perform the same task. Hayun helped wrestle the attacker away and pull the aircraft out of its dive; Manes and Rajuan helped overpower and restrain him; Musaev treated the critically wounded captain.
And, according to passengers, Machchhar himself may have made one crucial intervention before collapsing - leaving the cockpit accessible long enough for those outside to get in.
Together, their accounts offer a picture of the unimaginably frantic minutes in which passengers and crew fought to regain control of the flydubai flight.
President of Israel, thanking Smit Machchhar from the “bottom of his heart”, announced President's Medal for Civilian Bravery to Yaniv Hayun, Zvika Manes, Assaf Rajuan, and Dr Shota Musaev.
“By their side, there were others who acted with courage and resourcefulness and helped prevent the disaster: Tali Mans, who heard the voices from the cockpit and drew everyone's attention; the alternate pilots who entered the cockpit and completed the mission until landing; and the Indian pilot, Captain Smith Machhar, who, with his last strength, opened the cockpit door and enabled the neutralization of the terrorist. Warm thanks are due to all of them,” the Israeli President said.
To captain Smit Machchhar, the Israeli President extended gratitude from the bottom of his heart for the “bravery, determination, and actions that saved many lives.”
He wished Machchhar a full recovery and strong health, adding that the State of Israel extends immense gratitude to you.