In brief
During a Dubai‑to‑Tel‑Aviv flight, a passenger attempted to seize the cockpit and stabbed the pilot, sending the 737‑800 downwards for 17,000 ft in under two minutes. A group of passengers, led by Captain Smit Machchhar, overpowered the assailant and took control of the aircraft. The plane was redirected to Saudi Arabia, where all passengers received assistance despite diplomatic tensions. The attacker has been arrested and is being transferred to the UAE; the stabbed pilot remains in stable condition.
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv plunged 17,000 ft (5,200 m) after a passenger stabbed the pilot and tried to seize control. Adapting quickly, passengers, led by Captain Smit Machchhar, overpowered the attacker, retook the cockpit and diverted the plane to Saudi Arabia, where all 150 passengers were treated and eventually flown back to Israel.
Adam Polovincik, a 40‑year‑old performance‑marketing analyst, told BBC Newshour that he had to hug his six‑year‑old son and three‑year‑old daughter “really hard” to keep them calm as the aircraft fell. He described the scene as “a very sharp decrease in height” followed by screams, blood, and the realization that “you have nothing you can do.”
Polovincik praised the pilot who suffered a stabbinge and the passengers who fought off the attacker, calling them “true heroes.” According to him, the cockpit’s visibility was limited, the pilot was stabbed, and the attacker later arrested in Saudi Arabia.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was too early to confirm Iran’s involvement, but that the attacker had been “under Islamist radical indoctrination.” He also noted that the assailant would be transferred from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates.
After the aircraft landed in Tabuk, passengers who were almost all Israeli received water, food, coffee and even sweets from Saudi staff, who themselves seemed unaware of formal diplomatic ties. The families were later reunited in Tel Aviv aboard a different flight, where they were welcomed by crowds that sang, danced, and waved Israeli flags.
Polovincik reflected on the experience as “such a terrible ending” to an amazing holiday, acknowledging that it will take time for his family to process the day’s events. He also gave thanks to Captain Machchhar and noted a feeling of divine providence amid the crisis. The flight, evacuated safely, underscores how quick and collective action can counteract even the most violent in‑air emergencies.
