An Israeli passenger who helped overpower the co-pilot accused of trying to crash a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai jet recounted how he put the attacker in a chokehold before grabbing the controls of the plunging aircraft himself — an extraordinary intervention Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later hailed as heroic.
‘Jihadist Terrorist Attack’
Co-Pilot Stabbed Pilot and ‘Tried to Crash the Plane with Everyone on Board’
Crew, Passengers Fight Back!
Off-Duty Pilots Save Plane After Falling 14,000 Feet in Under 30 Seconds
Yaniv Hayun returned safely to Israel with the other 173 passengers Wednesday evening, stepping off the replacement flight at Ben-Gurion Airport still wearing the white shirt stained with blood from the midair struggle aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073.
Israeli officials say the Omani co-pilot stabbed the captain and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft before Hayun and several other passengers fought their way into the cockpit.
“I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him out,” Hayun said, according to Israeli news outlet Ynet. “I called the Israelis who were with us, jumped back in and pulled the controls. I started pulling them back.”
Hayun, who said he has an aviation background, was among at least four Israeli passengers who intervened as the Boeing 737 carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, suddenly plunged more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.
Hayun said he and another man forced their way through the cockpit door, where the wounded captain had collapsed nearby. Inside, he said, neither pilot was in his seat and the suspected attacker was positioned between them at the aircraft’s controls.
“When I walked in, I saw the attacker on the instruments, between the two seats,” Hayun told Netanyahu. “There were no pilots in the seats.”
Netanyahu asked Hayun what the attacker was doing.
“He was trying to destroy the instruments to… neutralize the aircraft,” Hayun replied, adding that he believed the objective was “to crash the plane.”
Hayun said he put the attacker in a chokehold, dragged him from the cockpit, and called other Israeli passengers forward to restrain him. With the aircraft still nose-down, he rushed back inside.
“I jumped back to the control, pulled the yoke,” Hayun recalled. “I started pulling the yoke.”
Hayun said two other pilots had been traveling as passengers aboard the flight, and one was able to take over after Hayun briefly pulled back on the controls.
Hillel Fuld
For the first time in over 20 years, someone has tried to hijack a plane bound for Israel. Miraculously, the attacker, an Omani pilot, was overpowered before he could complete his mission.
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The entire region held its breath as the morning Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv sent an emergency signal, flashed the hijack code and appeared to veer off course over Saudi airspace. The region then exhaled, almost with a chuckle, when early reports blamed a scuffle between the two pilots.
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That laughter quickly died as security assessments and passenger testimony revealed that the co-pilot had repeatedly stabbed the captain. The terrorist then seized the controls and pointed the plane toward the ground, dropping almost 20,000 feet in just over a minute, until several crew members and passengers forced their way through the cockpit door and subdued him.
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Many were injured in the process. The plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where the passengers are now waiting for Israel to bring them home.
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The assailant’s specific motive and affiliation are still unconfirmed, but Israel is treating the incident as terrorism.
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Unlike many of the hijackings in Israel’s long history, today’s had a happy ending. It also came just weeks after the 25th anniversary of the deadliest hijacking in history.
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Many questions remain. How was this man cleared to fly the plane? What precisely drove him? And what does this mean for the future of air travel in Israel’s busiest flight corridor?
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El Al suspended its scheduled flights to the United Arab Emirates in March 2026 due to security threats and has not resumed them since. It is possible that the assailant intended to drive a wedge into this crucial alliance. Just yesterday, Benjamin Netanyahu warned in a speech at the IDF’s main air base that “our enemies will try to attack us.” “Don’t mess with us,” he warned. “Our long arm will reach you anywhere, and at any time.”
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But it was not the avenging fist of the Israeli Air Force nor a heroic rescue by special forces that foiled today’s threat. It was the courage of everyday Israelis. There was a very real and tragic possibility that I would be writing an entirely different article today. With the captain barely hanging on to life, a broken steering system and a damaged wing, it was only by the bravery of a handful of passengers and crew that almost 180 lives were saved.
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Today, on the fifth day of Sukkot, we will recite the words of Hallel with extra fervor: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Amit Segal
