Two and a half hours into a flydubai flight from Shanghai to Tel Aviv, an Omani co‑pilot, Hamad al‑Hammami, pulled a crash axe from his pocket and swung it at Captain Smit Machchhar, stabbing him in the head and hands.
Dr Shota Musaev, a Georgian dentist, was among the first passengers who sprinted toward the cockpit. He found the captain lying on the floor, blood spattering the surface, and the co‑pilot sitting calmly beside him. Musaev immediately began applying pressure to the wounds with his gloves, while shouting for the cockpit crew to lock the door.
Musaev told NDTV that the captain's pulse was "very low" and that he needed to elevate his feet. He added that the pilot later said he wanted to go back to his family.
Meanwhile, 50‑year‑old Yaniv Hayun and three other Israeli passengers seized the co‑pilot's arms, restraining him and tying his hands behind his back. Hayun said that the group had forced the aircraft to right‑wing climb, preventing a crash.
The jet diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where emergency crews stabilized the captain, who had a pulse of 30 beats per minute upon arrival. Captain Machchhar, who is 39 and has two children in Dubai, expressed gratitude to the passengers before being transferred to a Riyadh hospital. Authorities have opened an investigation into the hijacking attempt, and the co‑pilot is in custody.