Flydubai highjacking video: Passengers recount terror, footage emerges as plane plunges 14,000 feet

Passengers aboard a flight to Tel Aviv have described the terrifying moment the aircraft plunged thousands of feet within minutes after a violent attack broke out in the cockpit.

Flydubai flight FZ1073 had departed from Dubai when the captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, was reportedly stabbed by his copilot in an alleged attempt to take control of the plane and crash it into the ground.

Chaos erupted throughout the cabin as the plane, carrying 174 people, abruptly descended almost 14,000 feet (5,100 metres) in less than two minutes.

Several passengers have recalled the moment the horrifying attack unfolded, with Isreali Yaniv Hayoun being one of the fist to spring into action.

Mr Hayoun, said he forced his way into the cockpit and scrambled to stop the accused copilot, an Omani man, from crashing the Boeing 737 into the ground.

“When I went in, I saw the terrorist on the controls, between the two seats. There were no pilots in the seats,” Mr Hayoun told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Neyanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion Airport on a replacement flight.

“I grabbed the (alleged) terrorist, put him in a hold, and first of all pulled him outside.”

“He was trying to destroy the controls in order to disable the plane.

“I jumped back in there, grabbed the controls, started pulling the controls.”

The Israeli Prime Minister praised Mr Hayoun for his heroic decision to “break into the cockpit” during the mid-air ordeal.

“You are a hero. You deserve a global medal of honor,” Mr Netanyahu said of Mr Hayun on X, alongside a photo of the pair at the airport.

Fellow passenger and CEO of Bank Leumi’s underwriting arm Barak Leumi, Tzvika Manes, also raced into the cockpit to help restrain the copilot.

“My younger daughter was in the bathroom, and my wife heard sounds in the cockpit,” Mr Manes told the Kan public broadcaster, according to the Times of Israel.

“Another team member entered the cockpit and saw the stabbing and threw him out.

“Three of us jumped on him with all our strength and tied him up with the multimedia headphones; that’s how we subdued him.”

Dozens of dramatic videos from inside the plane have since emerged online, showing chaotic scenes as passengers screamed in panic.

One video appears to show as a woman crouched in the aisle as she grips the seat beside her in a brace position.

Another passenger, identified as Daniel, told Channel 12 News the frightening incident felt like it lasted for “an eternity”.

“Suddenly I heard a struggle. Something like a fight coming from the cockpit,” he said.

“The door was slightly ajar, and I saw an attempt to push someone out. Then three Israelis who were sitting behind me came to see what was happening, and the plane suddenly went into a very steep dive, nose down, with a very intense spin.

“From what I understood, a copilot stabbed the captain, and once they subdued the attacker, there were two other pilots on the plane, and they took control.

“The spinning stopped. It took some — I don’t know, it felt like an eternity, but I think it was two minutes, at least two or three minutes, during which the plane was simply diving and spinning like crazy.

“It felt like, that’s it. It’s over. September 11 is happening again.”

But panic persisted even after the accused copilot had been retrained, with passenger Assaf Rajuan describing the uncertainty among travellers.

“There was nothing but desert beneath us; we feared being taken to an enemy country or landing in the middle of the desert. We didn’t know who to trust., he told CNN.

“We even started suspecting the flight attendants — we knew nothing. I was terrified for my life and my family’s lives.”

The plane was diverted under Israeli fighter jet escorts to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia as it descended to a lower altitude before landing with everyone on board safe.

Upon landing, Mr Machchhar and the accused co-pilot were taken to hospital to receive medical treatment for their injuries.

According to India’s embassy in Saudi Arabia, the full extent of Mr Machchhar’s injuries is unclear, but he remains in hospital in a stable condition.

“He is admitted in a hospital in Tabuk city in northwest Saudi Arabia and receiving necessary medical attention,” it wrote on X.

“A full update on his health is awaited but he is reported to be in stable condition. We hope that he recovers from his injuries at the earliest.

The co-pilot has been arrested and is under investigation by Saudi authorities. Mental health issues are also being pursued in the investigation.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has called the incident an “attempted jihadist terror attack”.

In statement cited by Al Jazeera, a flydubai spokesperson said the motive behind the attack is unclear as investigations are ongoing.

“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation,” they said.

“We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.”