An Israeli passenger who helped overpower the suspected attacker aboard a flydubai flight has said his years of watching the Canadian aviation documentary series Mayday helped him react when the aircraft began plunging during a mid-air cockpit emergency. Yaniv Hayun, one of the passengers who entered the cockpit after Captain Smit Machchhar was attacked, recounted the incident to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the flight’s passengers returned to Israel. Hayun said he recognised what to do with the aircraft’s controls as the plane began to tilt sharply, helping keep it from continuing its rapid descent until another pilot could take over.

According to Hayun’s account, he and another passenger forced their way into the cockpit after the aircraft encountered a severe emergency. They found Machchhar, the Indian captain, injured near the cockpit door, while the suspected attacker was near the controls. Hayun told Netanyahu that he grabbed the man and pulled him away from the flight controls before taking him outside the cockpit. He then called other Israeli passengers to help restrain the suspect. Hayun said he subsequently returned to the cockpit when the aircraft began tilting and grabbed the controls, pulling them back in an attempt to bring the aircraft out of its steep descent.

Netanyahu appeared surprised when Hayun explained that he had personally pulled back on the controls. In the conversation, the passenger was asked how he knew what action to take. Hayun replied that he watches Mayday, referring to the Canadian documentary series that reconstructs real aviation accidents and emergencies. The programme, also known as Air Crash Investigation in several countries, examines cockpit procedures, aircraft failures and the actions taken by crews and investigators during aviation disasters. Hayun’s comment suggested that his familiarity with the series gave him some basic understanding of how aircraft controls respond during an emergency, although the flight was subsequently brought under control by trained aviation personnel.

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The incident involved flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 people aboard when a confrontation reportedly broke out in the cockpit. The aircraft experienced a dramatic loss of altitude, descending from about 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet in roughly a minute, according to reports. The plane was eventually diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. The injured captain was taken for medical treatment and was later reported to be in stable condition. Other passengers and crew members also became involved in restraining the suspected attacker, while trained crew members eventually resumed control of the aircraft.

Hayun also described the role played by Machchhar, who was reportedly able to open the reinforced cockpit door despite being seriously injured. This allowed passengers to reach the cockpit and intervene. Hayun said that after he pulled the suspected attacker away from the controls, he returned to the flight deck as the aircraft continued to tilt and attempted to pull the controls back. The plane began to level out, after which another pilot on board took over the controls. The sequence has also been described by other passengers, although investigators are still examining the precise chronology of the cockpit confrontation and the aircraft’s subsequent movements.

The incident remains under investigation, including the suspected attacker’s motive and exactly what happened inside the cockpit before passengers intervened. Israeli officials have praised Hayun and the other passengers who helped during the emergency, while Netanyahu has described their actions as instrumental in preventing a potentially catastrophic outcome. At the same time, authorities have cautioned against drawing definitive conclusions about the motive behind the incident. Flydubai has suspended flights between Dubai and Israel while the investigation continues. Hayun’s account has nevertheless provided a detailed first-person description of how passengers entered the cockpit, restrained the suspected attacker and helped stabilise the aircraft during one of the most critical moments of the flight.

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