US President Donald Trump has described an extraordinary account of how passengers helped prevent a Flydubai passenger plane from crashing after the co-pilot allegedly attacked and stabbed the captain during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Trump said he discussed the incident at length with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who reportedly told him that an Israeli passenger identified as a plumber helped stabilize the aircraft during its emergency descent.
However, Trump emphasized that he could not independently confirm every detail of the story.
“This is the story that I heard,” Trump said while speaking to reporters at the White House. He indicated that the information came primarily from Netanyahu and others familiar with the incident.
Flydubai Flight Plunges During Cockpit Attack
The incident occurred aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 people on board.
According to investigators and passenger accounts, the Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit and stabbed him. The aircraft then entered an extremely steep descent, losing thousands of feet in a matter of seconds.
Despite suffering serious injuries, Machchhar reportedly managed to open the cockpit door and alert people outside. Passengers then rushed into the cockpit and helped restrain the attacker.
The situation was particularly dangerous because the aircraft was rapidly losing altitude. The incident prompted an emergency response and concerns that the plane could crash.
The captain’s actions have since drawn praise from Israeli and Indian officials. Machchhar was seriously injured and remained under medical care in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Plumber Reportedly Took Control
Trump said one of the passengers, identified in reports as Israeli plumber Yaniv Hayoun, entered the cockpit during the crisis.
According to Trump’s account, Hayoun helped pull the attacker away from the controls while other passengers worked to restrain him.
Trump then described an unusual moment in which Hayoun, who had never flown an aircraft, reportedly took hold of the controls and pulled them back as the plane was plunging.
The action allegedly helped bring the aircraft out of its steep descent until trained pilots among the passengers could take over.
The Associated Press also reported that Hayoun was among several passengers who intervened, while dentist Dr. Shota Musayev assisted the wounded captain.
Two off-duty Flydubai pilots who were traveling as passengers subsequently helped land the aircraft safely.
Emergency Landing in Saudi Arabia
The Boeing 737 eventually made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
All 174 people aboard survived. Several passengers suffered minor injuries, while the captain and alleged attacker required medical treatment.
Passengers were later transported onward to Israel on another Flydubai aircraft.
The incident has triggered investigations involving authorities in several countries as officials work to determine why the co-pilot attacked the captain and whether the episode was an attempted terrorist attack.
Israeli officials have described the incident as a possible deliberate attempt to bring down the aircraft. Reuters reported that the suspect was an Omani national and was being held by Saudi authorities while investigators examined his possible motive.
Trump Says Motive Remains Unclear
Trump said Netanyahu had suggested that the co-pilot could have been a terrorist, while also leaving open the possibility that he was mentally unstable.
Those claims remain part of the developing investigation rather than an independently established explanation for the attack.
Israeli officials have separately raised concerns about possible radicalization. Netanyahu later said the suspect had undergone what he described as Islamist indoctrination, while investigations into the incident continued.
Flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel while the circumstances surrounding the incident are investigated. Israel has also announced additional scrutiny of pilots operating flights into the country.
The incident has drawn international attention because the aircraft was carrying more than 170 passengers and experienced a dramatic loss of altitude before passengers and other pilots were able to intervene.
