US President Donald Trump has shared a dramatic account of a mid-air crisis on a Flydubai flight, claiming an Israeli plumber played a key role in preventing the plane from crashing after the co-pilot attacked the captain.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he discussed the incident at length with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the version he heard, the co-pilot was “perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack-job” who stabbed the pilot, causing the aircraft to plunge sharply. Trump added that an Israeli passenger described as a plumber, despite having no flying experience, helped subdue the attacker and assisted in pulling the plane out of its dive. He stressed that he could not independently verify the story but was repeating what he had been told by Netanyahu and others.
Reuters reported that passengers and crew forced their way into the cockpit and overpowered the co-pilot. A second pair of Flydubai pilots who happened to be on board then took control and safely landed the aircraft in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Flight data showed the plane had dropped nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. The flight, FZ1073, was carrying 174 people, mostly Israeli nationals, from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Israeli officials confirmed the co-pilot stabbed the captain, an Indian national named Smit Machchhar. Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene. The co-pilot, identified as an Omani national, was taken into Saudi custody. His motive remains under investigation, and Flydubai has urged against speculation while calling the event an “altercation” that was brought under control.
The incident has led Israel to announce tighter security checks on pilots flying into the country. It also created a diplomatic issue when Saudi Arabia rejected an Israeli request to send military aircraft to collect the passengers. The travellers instead continued their journey on another Flydubai plane.
Coming amid heightened security concerns in Israel, the episode underlines both the risks in regional aviation and the close air links that have grown since the Abraham Accords.
