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A flydubai plane carrying passengers from Saudi Arabia approches Ben Gurion Airport in Israel Alamy Stock Photo
Israel
'Rollercoaster': What we know about the fight to regain control of flydubai flight FZ 1703
One pilot reportedly stabbed the other in an attempt to take over and crash the plane.
A PLANE HEADING for Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after one of the pilots allegedly attempted to crash it and kill everyone on board.
The Indian pilot and Israeli passengers who managed to wrest control of the plane from the assailant have been praised as heroes and investigations into the incident have been launched.
The details of exactly what happened on board flydubai flight FZ 1703 are still emerging, but here is what we know so far.
The timeline
The plane took off from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates just after 7am local time (4am Irish time) on Wednesday morning with 174 passengers on board. It was bound for Tel Aviv, Israel.
A little over two hours later, as it approached the Jordanian border at 9.22am, the plane experienced a sudden loss of altitude, plummeting about 17,000ft, according to data from the Flightradar24 website.
Eleven minutes later, at 9.31am, the plane transmitted a general emergency signal, followed by a code to report a hijacking at 9.38am, according to Israeli media reports.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan and Channel 12 reported that the Israeli military scrambled fighter jets in response.
The plane began to spin “pretty much out of control”, passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon said.
This man is a hero.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) September 30, 2026
Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain of flydubai Flight 1073, fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit.
Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door - allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save… pic.twitter.com/x4W3mtQkag
The fight
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that one pilot had stabbed the other in an attempt to take over and crash the plane.
A struggle ensued but the pilot, Smit Machchhar from India, managed to open the cockpit door to allow passengers in.
They overpowered the copilot by beating him and pinning him down, Israeli officials said.
Another crew member who was flying on the plane then took control.
Passengers began to post footage from the plane, including some of an Israeli man who had been wounded.
It was like “we were having very big turbulence, but there was no turbulence”, passenger Almog Italie told the AFP news agency afterwards, describing the sensation of losing thousands of feet of altitude in seconds as similar to riding a “rollercoaster”.
“The other passengers from the front took over control,” he said.
Netanyahu credited an Israeli plumber with bringing the plane out of free fall, saying he “managed to enter the cockpit, he saw the attacker” and “grabbed him from behind, pulled him back, got into the pilot’s seat, pulled the stick back” while others on the plane subdued the attacker.
“He had to save them and he acted with coolness of judgment and heroism,” the Israeli leader added.
Despite the commotion, Italie said, “people kept calm”.
Miryam Shira Ohayon told reporters the copilot had “tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane”.
“It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the copilot and neutralised him,” Ohayon said.
“There was also a doctor who gave first aid, and people who treated both of them. Other than the pilot, there were no injuries, but the bigger fear was really a crash, which is exactly what he was trying to do.”
Fellow passenger Chaim Nazarovitz described the ordeal as “very terrifying”, adding that for a moment he felt like he was “not among the living”.
‘Heroes’ praised
According to a statement from the airport operator, the plane landed in the northern Saudi town of Tabuk at 9.45am, where its captain and copilot were found to have injuries and were transported to hospital.
After the plane landed, Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying the incident was “under control”.
In a video statement afterwards, the prime minister praised the “heroes” on board who “prevented a major disaster”.
Netanyahu added that Saudi authorities had arrested the copilot, who was being interrogated. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called it an “attempted jihadist terror attack”.
Around six hours after the plane landed in Tabuk, where passengers received medical attention, a new flight took off and headed to Tel Aviv.
The pilot who was injured by his colleague during the fight for control of the plane was taken to hospital in Tabuk, the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said.
“Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement posted on social media.
“In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others,” he said.
“His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. India is proud of Captain Machchhar. Praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health.”
Netanyahu also hailed Machchhar “for his extraordinary bravery”, praising him for fighting back despite being wounded and “preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster”.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said today that he would present “heroism” awards to four of the Israeli passengers.
Flydubai said it had suspended all flights to and from Israel until an investigation was completed. The Israeli government has also launched an investigation.
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