They prevented the co-pilot from crashing a Boeing 737 with 174 passengers

The heroism of Israeli passengers who saved Flydubai flight FZ1073

Esp 9·30·2026 · 21:58 0

Unfortunately, commercial aviation already has a long history of aircraft hijackings, often with tragic outcomes.

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Today, we could be reading in the media about another one of those dramatic endings, but that was not the case. Although some outlets refer to it as an "incident," what happened on Flydubai flight FZ1073 is an exceptional case in aviation history—comparable to the events of the famous United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001—but this time with a happy ending. Just like that tragedy from 25 years ago, the events surrounding flight FZ1073 undoubtedly deserve a major motion picture.

Let’s start at the beginning. A twin-engine Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Flydubai took off from Dubai this morning at 7:05 GST (5:05 CET). The plane, bearing registration A6-FKF and flight identifier FZ1073, was bound for Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. There were 180 people on board: 6 crew members and 174 passengers, including 27 children. Everything proceeded normally until the aircraft was flying over the border between Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Initially, flight FZ1073 transmitted a 7700 code to air traffic control—indicating a general emergency without specifying the cause—but shortly thereafter, it transmitted a 7500 code, signaling "unlawful interference." This is the standard code used in cases of aircraft hijacking.

What is known right now is that the co-pilot, an Omani national, stabbed the pilot, an Indian national. According to Breaking Aviation News & Videos, the pilot is named Smit Machchhar and has flown for Flydubai since 2022, following a decade-long stint at SpiceJet. After stabbing his colleague, the co-pilot seized the controls with the intention of crashing the plane. The aircraft dropped sharply from 34,000 feet (10,363 meters) to approximately 17,000 feet (5,181 meters) in less than a minute. Due to this sudden descent, the plane’s speed increased from 411 knots (761 km/h) to nearly 600 knots (1,111 km/h). To put this in perspective, the maximum speed of a Boeing 737 MAX 8 is 541 knots (1,003 km/h). This video was recorded by a passenger during the plane's rapid descent; the screams of those on board can be heard:

This other video was recorded by another passenger after the sudden descent:

As reported by Emmanuel Fabian in the Israeli outlet Zman.co.il, the plane recovered slightly for a few seconds and reached an altitude of 21,650 feet (6,598 meters) before plunging again to an altitude below 14,000 feet (4,267 meters). The flight continued without the aircraft maintaining a stable altitude—flying at around 15,000 feet (4,572 meters)—and was piloted manually rather than by autopilot. After failing to establish contact with the aircraft, the Israeli Air Force deployed fighter jets to potentially intercept the hijacked plane.

Despite his injuries, the pilot managed to open the cockpit door, and three Israeli passengers entered; they struggled with the co-pilot, managed to subdue him, and then removed him from the cockpit. Here we can see the passengers—mostly Israelis—chanting after the co-pilot was detained.

Emmanuel Fabian has shared a video showing the injured pilot (Twitter does not allow it to be embedded here) and in which we can see several of the passengers who helped regain control of the plane. Two off-duty pilots flying as passengers took the controls, managing to land the plane in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Flydubai has sent another plane to pick up the passengers from flight FZ1073, transporting them to Ben Gurion Airport, where they were welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Here, we can see him speaking with one of the passengers who helped regain control of the plane—still wearing blood-stained clothing.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has described the incident as an act of terror. It is currently known that the co-pilot of flight FZ1073 has been arrested in Saudi Arabia. The passengers who managed to avert this tragedy are being qualified as heroes in Israel today—and rightly so. This event is, without a doubt, unprecedented in the history of aviation. It is the first time passengers have succeeded in preventing a pilot from crashing a commercial airliner.

Images showing the damage sustained by the aircraft due to the sudden descent have circulated on social media. Specifically, the rudder can be seen to be broken, with its upper section missing. Controlling the aircraft under these conditions would not have been easy.

My recognition goes to the Israeli heroes of flight FZ1073, who today managed to save the lives of 179 innocent people, and I wish a speedy recovery to the pilot, Smit Machchhar.

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Main photo: Wikimedia.

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