Passengers subdue pilot after cockpit stabbing on Flydubai flight to Israel

A Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was thrown into chaos when one pilot stabbed the other and appeared to attempt to disable the aircraft's controls, according to passenger accounts. During the incident, the plane dropped roughly 17,000 feet in under two minutes.

Passenger Yaniv Hayun said he realized something was wrong when the aircraft suddenly dropped and the cabin lights went out. He and another passenger tried to force open the cockpit door, a task made difficult because the stabbed pilot was slumped close to it. Before collapsing, the injured pilot managed to open the door himself.

Entering the cockpit, Hayun found one pilot down and the attacker positioned at the instrument panel, apparently trying to destroy the controls. Hayun put the attacker in a chokehold and, with help from other passengers, pulled him out of the cockpit and held him restrained until the plane landed.

The aircraft ultimately made an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Passengers were later flown to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on a repatriation flight, where they were met by crowds singing, dancing and waving Israeli flags.

Several passengers described the ordeal as terrifying, with some saying they believed they were going to die. A paramedic said many passengers were emotional and crying as they disembarked.

The stabbed pilot, Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar, was hospitalized and is reported to be in stable condition by the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised him as a true hero. The attacker was arrested and is being questioned by Saudi authorities. Israel's defence minister described the incident as an attempted jihadist terror attack, though no official motive has yet been confirmed.