Plane plunged 14,000 feet as flydubai pilot Machchhar casts doubt on israeli plumber Hayoun’s role during attempted hijacking
Attack sent plane into sharp descent
The Flydubai flight was travelling from the UAE to Israel on 30 September with 172 passengers aboard. The Omani co-pilot attacked Captain Machchhar with an axe, repeatedly striking him, and the plane dropped more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.
Israeli authorities said the injured captain managed to open the cockpit door. Passengers then entered and restrained the attacker while the Boeing 737 descended.
Captain questions landing account
Speaking from a hospital bed in Abu Dhabi, with his head and left arm bandaged, Captain Machchhar cast doubt on the claim that a plumber helped land the plane. Asked whether a plumber could land an aircraft, he declined to speculate and said his immediate concern had been survival.
Machchhar said his next thought was to get help. He described freeing himself from his seat belts and trying to block the blows, pointing to the arm injured while defending himself.
Authorities describe alleged plan
The UAE attorney general said the Omani co-pilot had intended to seize the flight and crash it into a terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport in a suicide attack. The official said the captain thwarted the plan.
Key points
- The Flydubai plane plunged more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds after the co-pilot attacked the captain.
- Captain Machchhar said his focus was survival, casting doubt on claims that Yaniv Hayoun helped land the plane.
- Hayoun had told Benjamin Netanyahu he subdued the attacker and said television documentaries taught him about aircraft controls.
- The UAE attorney general said the co-pilot planned to crash the plane into a terminal at Ben Gurion airport.