by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 8:50 AM ET, Fri October 2, 2026
It began as a routine Wednesday morning flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
It ended with a badly wounded captain, passengers rushing into a cockpit, a dentist providing emergency medical care, a man using knowledge picked up from watching an aviation television show, and another flight crew taking control of a Boeing 737 and landing it safely in Saudi Arabia.
The story of flydubai Flight FZ1073 on Sept. 30 is extraordinary not simply because of what happened at 34,000 feet, but because of the number of people who acted when seconds mattered.
According to Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry, the aircraft (Boeing 737 Max 8) landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk at 9:45 a.m. local time with 174 passengers and eight crew members aboard. A preliminary Saudi investigation found that the captain had been assaulted by his co-pilot, resulting in injuries to both men.
Reuters, citing Israeli officials and passenger accounts, reported that the co-pilot stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar and attempted to send the aircraft into a crash. During the struggle, the jet plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.
Independent flight-tracking data confirms the aircraft experienced a series of dramatic altitude changes.
According to Flightradar24, FZ1073 departed Dubai at 03:05 UTC and climbed to 34,000 feet. At 05:21 UTC, it entered a steep descent, followed by a sharp climb and another descent. Minutes later it transmitted the internationally recognized 7700 general emergency code, followed by 7500 — the code for unlawful interference — before eventually returning to 7700 on approach to Tabuk.
An Injured Captain Gets the Door Open
At the centre of what happened next was Machchhar.
Despite being seriously injured, the Indian captain managed to release the cockpit door, CBC News reports.
Speaking Friday from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Machchhar described realizing the aircraft was descending while he was on the floor.
“I knew that the aircraft was going down ... I had fallen to the ground. I told myself that the door is right there, just open it. I managed to do it and people entered,” Machchhar said.
That action gave those outside the cockpit an opportunity to intervene.
According to reports, passengers rushed forward and subdued the co-pilot. A second flydubai flight crew travelling aboard FZ1073 was subsequently able to take control of the aircraft and land it safely in Tabuk.
Upon landing, Saudi authorities arrested the copilot, AP reports.
Passengers Become Part of the Crew
Among those passengers was 50-year-old Israeli Yaniv Hayun, who was travelling with his wife and two daughters.
Hayun told Reuters he knew something was wrong when he heard a woman scream “stabbing” and felt the aircraft shake.
“At that moment I ran to the cockpit and the plane dived,” he said.
Hayun said he helped pull the attacker away before returning to the cockpit and pulling back on the aircraft’s control column to help arrest its descent until a qualified pilot could take over.
His unlikely preparation for that moment?
“I watch Air Crash Investigation, Mr Prime Minister,” Hayun later told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He wasn’t alone.
Passenger Tzvika Manes told Reuters the group used airline earphone cables to help restrain the co-pilot. Dr. Shota Musaev, a dentist travelling aboard the aircraft, helped incapacitate the man before turning his attention to the seriously wounded captain. Passenger Asaf Rajuan also helped restrain the attacker.
The group’s actions have since been recognized by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who said he would recommend Hayun, Manes, Rajuan and Musaev for the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism. Herzog also singled out Manes’ wife, Tali, who raised the alarm about the disturbance in the cockpit.
Rajuan rejected the hero label.
“I'm not a hero,” he said. “It's something you do without thinking, running to save your daughter's life, your family's life, your wife, and all the staff and people on the plane. You don't think, you just act.”
182 People, Safely on the Ground
The Saudi Interior Ministry said all 174 passengers and eight crew members were accounted for after the landing and received necessary care. The passengers continued their journey later that day aboard a replacement flydubai aircraft.
CBC reports aviation experts are "surprised that the plane did not crash after a descent so extreme that most of the rudder was ripped off the aircraft's tail."
Flydubai has been cautious about drawing conclusions while the investigation continues.
In its initial statement, the airline confirmed that FZ1073 had experienced an incident en route and landed safely in Tabuk, adding: “The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority. Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities.”
The UAE has opened its own investigation. According to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country’s Attorney-General ordered a specialized Public Prosecution team to examine the circumstances and causes of the incident. Investigators are also examining whether there was any connection to terrorist activity or intent.
Saudi Arabia’s National Transport Safety Center is conducting an investigation as well.
As of Oct. 2, authorities have not publicly established a motive. Flydubai has specifically cautioned against premature speculation about what led to the incident.
In a crisis that unfolded in minutes, there was little time to think about who was supposed to do what.
They simply did what needed to be done, and as a result 182 people made it home.
Machchhar, meanwhile, continues to recover.
Speaking from hospital, he described his actions in considerably less dramatic terms than others have.
“I was acting to save my own life, of course, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't let everyone else die,” he said.
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