HighLights
  1. Yaniv Hayun restrained co-pilot, stabilized Flydubai flight.
  2. Indian pilot Smit Machchhar stabbed, saved 174 passengers.
  3. Hayun credited "Air Crash Investigation" for his actions.

The heroes of the ill-fated Flydubai flight had no prior experience handling such a chaotic mid-air emergency, yet they acted bravely as the aircraft rapidly descended on Wednesday. Among them was Indian pilot Smit Machchhar, who helped save the lives of 174 passengers and six crew members despite being stabbed by his co-pilot, an Omani national.

Another key figure was Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun, who entered the cockpit and helped restrain the attacker. Hayun met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and recounted how he intervened during the mid-air emergency, The Times of Israel reported.

During his meeting with Netanyahu, Hayun described one of the most frightening moments of the incident and explained how he helped stabilise the aircraft before an experienced off-duty pilot took over its controls.

"I watch air crash investigation"

Hayun has recalled how watching the aviation documentary series Air Crash Investigation helped him respond during the dramatic mid-air emergency aboard a Flydubai flight. He said he entered the cockpit after the suspected attacker had been subdued and pulled back on the aircraft’s controls to help stabilise the plane.

When Netanyahu asked him, “You pulled them?” Hayun replied: “Yes, I watch ‘Air Crash Investigation.’” Hayun said reaching the cockpit was difficult because an injured pilot was pressed against the door. Once inside, he found the pilots away from their seats and the suspected attacker near the aircraft’s controls.

"There were no pilots in the seats. One was on the floor, one was on the panel," Hayun recalled, adding that the attacker appeared to be trying to interfere with the aircraft’s controls.

According to Hayun, the confrontation unfolded within seconds. He said he grabbed the alleged attacker, restrained him and pulled him away from the cockpit controls. "When I went in, I saw the terrorist on the devices between the two chairs. I grabbed the terrorist, choked him, and pulled him away from there," he said, claiming the attacker appeared to be attempting to interfere with the controls while the aircraft’s nose was pointing downward.

Hayun then returned his attention to helping bring the aircraft under control. He said his familiarity with Air Crash Investigation gave him some understanding of what to do in the chaotic situation.

The documentary series, also known internationally as Mayday, premiered in 2003 and examines major aviation accidents and their investigations through dramatic reconstructions, interviews and computer-generated recreations of events inside aircraft.

Reflecting on the emergency, Hayun also said he feared the situation could have had a different outcome if the aircraft had continued towards Israel. "I imagine that if we had entered Israeli airspace, it wouldn’t have ended well," he said.

What Trump said on flydubai incident

US President Donald Trump hailed the flydubai pilot as a "hero" for fighting off a knife attack from the co-pilot, opening the cockpit door and calling for help to foil a bid to crash the aircraft. Interacting with reporters at the Oval Office, Trump said he spoke to the Israeli Prime Minister, who told him that a plumber, who had never flown an aircraft, made a dramatic intervention to steady the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight which landed in Saudi Arabia.

The pilot who staved off the attempt to crash the aircraft has been identified as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, and hailed a "hero" by Netanyahu and many others.

"The pilot was in very bad shape; I guess he still is in very bad shape, but he had the sense to, amazing, to, in a way he was a hero," Trump said, recalling his conversation with Netanyahu. Trump said the pilot opened the door and was able to fall back, get the door open and scream for help. "It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot," the US President said.

Trump then described what he called an "amazing" intervention by an Israeli passenger whom he identified as a plumber. Trump said a passenger, who had never flown an aircraft, entered the cockpit, pulled the co-pilot out of his seat and threw him backwards, where other passengers helped restrain him.

According to Trump, the passenger later said he had learned some basic concepts about flying from watching the television program Air Disasters. "He said he watches it a lot, and he learned from watching that show sort of how to fly," Trump said.

Trump said additional pilots and security personnel, who had been toward the rear of the aircraft, subsequently reached the cockpit and took control. "I think it's the most amazing story," he said. However, Trump said that he was merely recounting an account he had received rather than independently confirmed facts. "Now this is the story that I heard. I don't know if it's true, but that's the story that I got from Bibi and from a couple of probably early (sources)," he said. 

(With inputs from PTI)

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