One of the passengers, who intervened during the violent brawl between two pilots on a Flydubai flight, recounted the terrifying moments inside the cockpit. He claimed the co-pilot attempted to “commit suicide and crash the plane.”
Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18 after arriving in Tel Aviv, the passenger said he and two others entered the cockpit and struggled with the co-pilot. He also recalled how the Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, who was reportedly stabbed during the altercation, survived the attack.
“Co-pilot was trying to commit suicide to crash the airplane… was stabbing the major pilot. Two guys and myself struggling with them and succeeded in controlling it,” the passenger told CNN-News18.
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He said another doctor on
board provided medical assistance to the injured pilot, describing the situation as “a big trauma” and “big terrifying moments”.
The passenger said the struggle inside the cockpit was aimed at protecting those on board. “We, there was struggling between the pilot and the co-pilot and we helped to control the stabber, the terrorist,” he said, while describing the incident as highly traumatic.
He also confirmed that the injured pilot was Indian and said he was glad that Machchhar survived.
The passenger’s account comes after Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, following an altercation in the cockpit. Flydubai said the aircraft was secured by on-duty crew members travelling on the flight and landed safely in Tabuk, with all passengers and crew accounted for.
The passenger’s account comes after Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, following an altercation in the cockpit. Flydubai said the aircraft was secured by on-duty crew members travelling on the flight and landed safely in Tabuk, with all passengers and crew accounted for.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said one of the pilots had stabbed the other and attempted to crash the aircraft, while passengers intervened and overpowered him.
Meanwhile, another Israeli passenger told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that the Indian pilot managed to unlock the cockpit door after being attacked, which he said helped prevent the situation from becoming even more dangerous.
One of the Israeli passengers who subdued the pilot-hijacker on board flydubai FZ 1073 told PM Netanyahu that the stabbed captain managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing. This enabled the passengers to enter and seize the attacker, as he was attempting to destroy the… pic.twitter.com/TuOiAGBWy9
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) September 30, 2026
that the stabbed captain managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing. The passenger said this allowed him and others to enter the cockpit and overpower the attacker, who was allegedly attempting to damage the aircraft’s systems and crash the plane.
The exact motive behind the confrontation remains under investigation.
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