Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun has described the tense moments inside the cockpit of Flydubai flight FZ1073, saying he helped rescue injured Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar after an alleged attack by the co-pilot.
Hayun and his daughter Noa were among the 174 people travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the incident unfolded. According to Hayun, he and another crew member forced open the cockpit door and found Machchhar seriously injured on the floor.
Hayun said the co-pilot was still at the controls, prompting him to pull the man away from the cockpit. As the aircraft was reportedly descending rapidly, Hayun said he briefly assisted in bringing the plane under control before two off-duty pilots travelling as passengers took over.
Recalling his interaction with Machchhar, Hayun said he reassured the injured captain: “You’re not going to die today.”
Hayun praised Machchhar for his actions despite being wounded and credited him with helping passengers gain access to the cockpit.
The passenger said he could not determine the co-pilot’s motive or confirm whether there was an intention to crash the aircraft. “It looked like that but we don’t know for sure,” he said.
Investigations into the incident and the circumstances surrounding the cockpit confrontation remain ongoing.