Passenger Recounts Subduing Attacker on Flydubai Flight

A harrowing mid-air incident was averted when passengers, including an Israeli grandfather with no flying experience, subdued a pilot who allegedly attacked his co-pilot and attempted to hijack Flight FZ1073 on Wednesday. The aircraft experienced a rapid descent of an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 feet in less than a minute.

Yaniv Hayoun, a sewage truck driver, described how he and other passengers intervened after hearing screams from the cockpit. Upon reaching the cockpit door, he found the pilot on the floor, seriously injured, and the attacker in the pilot's seat, attempting to interfere with the aircraft's controls.

"He was leaning forward toward the aircraft’s controls. So I grabbed him by the throat," Hayoun told the Daily Mail. He and at least three other passengers then subdued the attacker, restraining him.

Following the successful intervention, Hayoun instinctively moved to the plane's controls, pulling them back to level the aircraft's nose. He stated he had learned this maneuver from watching documentaries about plane crashes. "It really was only for a few seconds. It wasn’t as though I flew the plane," he said.

His actions provided crucial time for an off-duty pilot, who was also a passenger on the flight, to take command of the aircraft and prepare for an emergency landing. Hayoun then helped guard the cockpit door and ensure the injured co-pilot received care from an Israeli doctor on board.

Upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport, Hayoun was hailed as a hero and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.