Passenger Rescues Pilot After Cockpit Stabbing on FlyDubai Flight to Israel

Wed Sep 30 2026 22:24:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A passenger pulled a stabbing attacker from the cockpit, saving a co‑pilot and stabilising the aircraft before a safe landing in Saudi Arabia.

A Flydubai aircraft en route to Tel Aviv was rocked by a cockpit stabbing that sent the plane plunging 17,000 ft. Passengers, led by Yaniv Hayun, wrestled the attacker into a chokehold and forced the injured pilot out of the cockpit, allowing the plane to regain control. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Hayun as a hero, while the attacker was detained by Saudi authorities. The airline later landed the plane in Tabuk, where passengers were welcomed back to Israel amid celebrations.

Passenger Rescues Pilot After Cockpit Stabbing on FlyDubai Flight to Israel

On 30 September, a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv was faltered when a second pilot stabbed the commander and tried to damage the aircraft. The cockpit suddenly dropped 17,000 ft (5,200 m) in less than two minutes, plunging passengers into terror.

Passengers Yaniv Hayun and others rushed to the cockpit, struggled to open the door and witnessed the attacker attempting to destroy the instruments. Hayun grabbed the assailant, placed him in a chokehold, and pulled him out of the cockpit. Two other passengers then pinned the attacker to keep him subdued.

Once the attacker was removed, Hayun re-entered the cockpit and began pulling the controls. He told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he had watched Air Crash Investigation for guidance. By the time two on‑duty pilots taken from the cabin reached the front of the plane, the aircraft began to level out.

Prime Minister Netanyahu praised Hayun, calling him a “great hero” and a “lion.” Another passenger, Zvika Meness, added that he and two others used the attacker’s own zip ties and headphones to restrain him.

The plane eventually landed at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia and the passengers were later flown to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, where crowds celebrated and the Israeli flag was waved. The stabbed co‑pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, was taken to a hospital in stable condition, while the attacker has been arrested and questioned by Saudi authorities. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has called the incident an “attempted jihadist terror attack.”