Yaniv Hayoun, the Israeli plumber hailed as a hero after taking control of a stricken Flydubai plane, has revealed he learned to fly from watching a TV show. He helped thwart what has been described as "Israel's 9/11" after passengers stormed the cockpit and overpowered an Omani knifeman who allegedly stabbed the pilot in a plot to crash the Tel Aviv-bound flight.
Hayoun was welcomed back to Tel Aviv as a hero after it emerged he had grabbed the controls to pull the plane out of a nosedive. In a special meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said his quick thinking was inspired by what he had seen on Air Crash Investigation, a TV show about major aviation disasters. When Netanyahu asked how he knew to pull the controls backwards, Hayoun replied: "I watch Air Crash Investigations, Mr Prime Minister."
Heroics on board
Reliving how he jumped into action when the attack happened 90 minutes into the flight, Hayoun said: "I pushed the door, the pilot who was stabbed was simply very close to the door so it was hard for us to open. We pulled him out – it was a matter of seconds." He then grabbed the controls to steady the plane, which had plunged 17,400 feet in less than two minutes. After regaining control, an off-duty pilot took the helm to guide it back to Saudi Arabia's Tabuk Airport, where the attacker was arrested.
Netanyahu praised the hero for his "tremendous resourcefulness". Speaking from the White House, US President Donald Trump also praised Hayoun's "amazing" actions.
Captain's bravery
The stabbed captain was named as Indian national Smit Machchhar, who suffered serious injuries in the incident. Machchhar has about 15 years of experience flying for commercial airlines and had logged almost 10,000 hours on Boeing 737s, according to his social media. He bravely fought to defend the plane and the 174 passengers on board while being attacked with a blade. Despite his wounds, the veteran pilot managed to unlock the cockpit door and alert the crew of the attack.
Last year, he gave an interview in which he emphasised how air crew would save passengers' lives in the event of an emergency. "If something happens up there [in flight], who will save you? Air crews can save lives," the pilot told a podcast last year in a clip that was shared online. Netanyahu praised the captain for his "extraordinary bravery".
Investigation underway
The Indian embassy in Riyadh said Machchhar was in a stable condition, recovering from his injuries in hospital in Tabuk, where the plane made an emergency landing on Wednesday. The embassy said on X: "My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery. Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back… preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster. He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals."
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said there was "no doubt" that the Flydubai pilot was attempting to bring down the plane, calling it a miracle the plane could land. "We have no doubt that it was a terror attack of a radical individual," Danon said. "We know that there was an intention to bring that plane down, and we are grateful."
Netanyahu said the "attacking pilot" is being investigated in Saudi Arabia. He will then likely be taken to the United Arab Emirates, where the plane took off from, according to Netanyahu. "He obviously hated Israelis," the Israeli prime minister told Fox News, adding that it was too early to say whether Iran was behind the attack. "That is fanaticism and hatred of an incalculable level." Israel would be following the investigation and "possibly participating" in it, he added.
The UAE prosecutor general ordered an investigation into the incident aboard the flight, numbered FZ1073, according to the Emirati state news agency. The investigation will examine the circumstances and motives, including whether it was linked to any terrorist activity or involved prior planning or direction. The country's judicial authorities would have jurisdiction over the incident because the aircraft was registered in the UAE and flew under its flag, the statement said, adding that UAE law applied to crimes committed on board "even if they occur outside the country's territory".
