FlyDubai live: Israeli passenger who landed hijacked plane with Brit pilot 'learned from TV show'

FlyDubai live: Israeli passenger who landed hijacked plane with Brit pilot 'learned from TV show' Meanwhile, one passenger has said that an off-duty British pilot helped stabilise the Tel Aviv-bound plane and land it A hero passenger who "broke into the cockpit" and put the attacker "in a chokehold" before controlling the plane said he learnt how to land the jet after watching a TV show. Mr Netanyahu met Yaniv who he says is a "great hero". Yaniv said: "I grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and pulled him - first and foremost - outside." He says he then pulled at the controls. Yaniv revealed he knew how to control the plane after watching a TV show on major aviation disasters, Air Crash Investigation. The FlyDubai flight bound for Tel Aviv was allegedly hijacked after the co-pilot was stabbed by his colleague. FlyDubai flight FZ1073 issued an emergency hijacking alert shortly after 6.30am BST Wednesday. Mr Netanyahu alleged one of the pilots "stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane". The wounded pilot who has been named as Indian national Smit Machchhar, is said to have opened the cockpit door so passengers and crew could stop the attacker. Mr Netanyahu said: "He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals. I wish Captain Machchhar a speedy and full recovery." Two other passengers, who were on board ahead of connection flight from Tel Aviv, reportedly helped take control of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and land it. Passenger Almog Itali said one of them was a British pilot and that they "entered (the cockpit) and pulled the aircraft up, pulled the yoke, stabilised the plane and landed us in Saudi Arabia". Israeli security services believe there may have been a plan to crash the aircraft into a city in a "9/11 scenario". Have you been involved in the FlyDubai incident? If so, please get in touch and share your story by emailing livenews@reachplc.com Key Events Captain labelled 'hero' by Indian Prime Minister Machchhar has been labelled a 'hero' by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi posted on X: “In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valor helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. According to his LinkedIn profile, Machchhar has worked for Flydubai for about four years. Before joining the airline, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain. Heroes 'stopped a global disaster' Netanyahu has claimed the heroes on board the plane stopped a global disaster from happening. The Israeli Prime Minister said: “They stopped a disaster that could have been global.” Netanyahu recalled how the seriously injured Indian captain unlocked the cockpit door, allowing Chayon to enter, pull the attacker away from the control and lift the plane's control stick. He called the actions of other passengers and crew members that then helped restrain the attacker “tremendous courage that prevented another 9/11.” Child on board plane said they "flew to the ceiling" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described some of the terrifying moments onboard the Israel-bound Flydubai flight including how children "flew to the ceiling." Recalling his conversation with the hero's family about the harrowing experience he said: "I asked the children, 'What happened when the plane was nosediving?' and the kid said, 'We flew to the ceiling.'" "People were already saying their prayers. They thought they were going to all crash and die. "And they were saved — saved by heroes." FlyDubai passenger's haunting thoughts as horror knife attack unfolded A passenger on board the allegedly hijacked FlyDubai flight has relived the moment she closed her eyes and prayed as the horror attack unfolded. The drop left passengers panicked and passenger Naama Bershadski recalled thinking “We’re going to die,” as she closed her eyes and prayed. Mid-air drop felt like 'rollercoaster ride' A passenger has compared the dramatic mid air drop to a rollercoaster. Almog Itali recalled the rapid fall to BBC. He said: "Suddenly the aeroplane started to, like a rollercoaster, to drop down like a massive G-force. "It was falling down for 20 or 30 seconds rapidly" before it started to stabilise again. He added when the plane started to fall again, he saw people "rushing to the cockpit". "Apparently one of the pilots stopped the other one and a couple of passengers and crew members took over and knocked it down." "Just three or four passengers that took over the pilot were injured, so you probably saw their faces, but the other passengers didn't have any injuries and even the three or four people that are very brave and took over, they have very surface injuries, not major injuries. "They are very brave, they literally saved our lives." Trump brands Israeli plumber as 'amazing' Trump has branded the hero plumber who helped land the plane 'amazing'. He said: "An Israeli plumber saw what was happening and was strong. You know, when you lift pipe all day, you're strong. And he saw what was going on and he heard the screaming. "He grabbed the stick, pulled it up, leveled out the plane before it crashed. "Pretty incredible." He added that the fact he learned about flying through watching the "crazy show" is "incredible". Timeline of the flight A timeline of events shows what happened to the flight in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is one hour behind UK time. It shows the plane's "squawk", which was changed, to help air traffic control identify the issue. Timeline of events: - 3:05: Flight takes off from Dubai International Airport - 5:21: Altitude fluctuations begin - 5:22: Aircraft drops more than 14,000 ft in under 30 seconds - 5:31: Squawk changed to 7700 (general emergency) - 5:38: Squawk changed to 7500 (unlawful interference) - 6:11: Aircraft left Flightradar24 ground-based coverage - 6:28: Squawk 7700 received via satellite - 6:58: Last signal received via satellite, at Tabuk Regional Airport in Saudi Arabia. Hero passenger learned how to land plane from TV show Yaniv Hayoun was one of the passengers labelled a "hero" by Israeli Prime Minister after he overpowered the knifeman who allegedly stabbed the pilot of the plane. He revealed that he had learned how to land the jet after watching a TV show, Air Crash Investigation. Yaniv told Benjamin Netanyahu: “We pinned him down to keep him secure and then I jumped into it (the cockpit) and pulled the controls.” Netanyahu asked how he knew to pull in a backwards motion, to which Yaniv said: “I watch Air Crash Investigations Mr Prime Minister.” Celebratory scenes after passengers land After passengers landed at Israel's Ben Gurion airport earlier there were celebratory scenes as large crowds greeted them. Many were waving Israeli flags and cheering as the returning passengers exited the terminal. 'We thought we were going to die, 100 per cent' Israeli dentist Musaev Shota, who said he helped save Mr Machchhar's life, described the terror inside the Boeing 737 MAX as it rapidly lost altitude. The doctor told Y Net News: "We thought we were going to die, 100 per cent. The plane lost an insane amount of altitude in half a minute." Besides claiming to have helped save the pilot's life, Mr Shota also says he was one of the passengers who helped restrain the attacker after he was pulled out of the cockpit. He said: "At that moment you don’t think, you just act. There were four of us who took control of the whole situation, and if we hadn’t, we wouldn’t be talking to you now." Mr Shota said two other pilots who were on the plane then went into the cockpit and took control of the aircraft, which is when he and other passengers "understood that we had survived". Trump says Netanyahu told him hero plumber 'levelled out the plane' US President Donald Trump says Benjamin Netanyahu had told him one of the heroes on board was an Israeli plumber who "took the stick and levelled out the plane". Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said: "He's strong. You know, when you lift pipe all day, you're strong. And he saw what was going on. "He heard the screaming. He was toward the front where you had security in the back. "Having never flown a plane, he took the stick, lifted it up and levelled out the plane before it crashed. Now, this is the story that I heard. I don't know if it's true. But that's the story that I got from Bibi [Netanyahu]." On board dentist says he helped save pilot's life Musaev Shota - an Israeli dentist - was also on board FlyDubai flight FZ1073 and says he helped save the pilot's life. Mr Shota said he is one of the passengers who rushed to the cockpit to restrain the attacker, who stabbed one of the pilots and allegedly tried to crash the aircraft. He told Y Net News: "He was thrashing around, so we tied him several times, both his legs and his hands. "He kept struggling, so we tied him tighter. Then he calmed down and understood that he was in our hands." Mr Shota said pilot Smit Machchhar was "in very bad shape" when he reached him, "with heavy bleeding from his head and hands". He said: "I was the only doctor on the plane. I managed to stop the bleeding, and the pilot was fairly stable until shortly before landing, when his condition deteriorated somewhat.” Mr Shota added that Mr Machchhar told him and other passengers that he is 39 years old and has two children. Netanyahu meets hero passenger - in pictures Passenger Yaniv Hayun was greeted by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu after finally landing safely at Ben Gurion Airport. Mr Hayun told Netanyahu about how he burst into the cockpit after hearing shouting, eventually pulling the attacker out and even pulling the controls of the aircraft - something he had knowledge of after watching an aviation show. Netanyahu described Mr Hayun as a "true hero". 'Hero' pilot praised for 'extraordinary act of courage' as new picture released Israel Foreign Ministry has also issued a message for Smit Machchhar, the pilot of flight 1073, praising him and all others involved in tackling the attacker. The ministry also released a new picture of the pilot, who is now stable in a hospital in Saudi Arabia after he was stabbed by the assailant. The statement reads: "This man is a hero. Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain of flydubai Flight 1073, fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit. "Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door - allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers. "Together, their extraordinary courage saved 174 lives. Indian. Israeli. Emirati. Different nationalities. One extraordinary act of courage. "We wish Captain Machchhar a full and speedy recovery." Israel investigating whether attacker wanted to 'crash plane into Israeli territory' Israel is reportedly investigating whether the attacker on board FlyDubai flight FZ1073 was intending to take control of the plane while it was over Jordan and then crash it into Israeli territory, Israeli news outlet N12 reports. One passenger on board, Almog Itali, explained how the flight was operating as normal until it reached the Jordanian border. Plane dropped 'very sharply' Almog Itali was one of the passengers on flight FZ1073, saying the plane dropped "very sharply" and telling reporters "it's been a long day". He said: "We didn't get any alerts and we tried to buckle up and it balanced after 20 to 30 seconds then started dropping and balancing again." Speaking to the media after finally landing in Israel, he said: "Luckily for us, it's ended safe and sound. "We're very happy to be here, to come back, it was quite a crazy day." Mr Itali explained the flight was operating as normal until the aircraft reached the Jordanian border. FlyDubai full statement after airline's Israel flights suspended A full statement issued by FlyDubai reads: "Following the incident involving flight FZ 1073 on 30 September, and in coordination with the relevant authorities, FlyDubai flights to and from Israel will be suspended while the investigation continues. "The safety and wellbeing of our passengers, crew and operations remain our highest priority. This temporary suspension will allow the relevant authorities to continue their work and establish all the facts surrounding the incident. "We are fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and maintaining the highest safety standards across our network. "We remain in close coordination with government authorities, regulators and airport stakeholders and will review the suspension as more information becomes available. "We apologise to passengers whose travel plans have been affected and are working to provide support and alternative arrangements where possible." Israel suspends FlyDubai flights Israel has suspended FlyDubai's flights to and from the country for six days. The directive came from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, with the decision reached in coordination with UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. The airline operates 10 flights to Israel every day but services are now suspended as investigations are carried out following today's serious incident. This could be extended depending on the findings of the investigation. Israel's Transport Minister Miri Regev earlier today called for all FlyDubai flights to and from the country to be suspended. Israel to 'increase security checks on pilots flying into country' Israel will increase security checks on international pilots flying into the country, a spokesperson for Benjamin Netanyahu's office has reportedly said. "Every pilot that is going to be flying into Israel, we are going to know the pilots' identities, know who they are, and do some type of security check," said Doron Spielman. He says Mr Netanyahu has instructed authorities to "ramp up security" on any flight in which "an Israeli is going to be flying into Israel". Indian embassy says wounded pilot 'stable' The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia says the pilot who was wounded on the FlyDubai jet is "stable" in hospital. They have also confirmed his identity as Smit Machchhar. The embassy described Machchhar as the "brave Indian pilot", joining in the praise for his courage in resisting the alleged attacker. Netanyahu also names 'true hero' pilot who 'prevented catastrophic mid-air disaster' Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised one of the pilots on FlyDubai flight FZ1073, describing him as a "true hero". He said: "My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery. "Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster. "He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals. "I wish Captain Machchhar a speedy and full recovery. He is a true hero." Multiple crew members injured A number of crew members on board flight FZ1073 were injured in today's incident. Emirates News Agency Wam reports that "the incident resulted in injuries to some of the aircraft crew". The workers were taken to hospital to receive treatment for their wounds in Saudi Arabia. Ed Miliband 'deeply concerned' about plane incident UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said he is "very relieved" that the plane eventually landed safely. In a message on X posted this evening, he wrote: "Deeply concerned about the incident that occurred on the Flydubai flight to Israel and very relieved that the plane landed safely thanks to the actions of those on board. "All of my thoughts are with those injured in the attack and all those on the plane, as well as their families." Attacker 'tied with zip ties and headphones' Zvika Meness is another passenger who said he helped tackle the alleged cockpit attacker, telling Israeli media the assailant was "tied up with zip ties and headphones". Mr Meness explained that a pilot who was in the passenger cabin entered the cockpit after hearing shouting. He said: "Then we saw stabbings and they were thrown out. It was a very difficult incident. Three of us jumped in and neutralised him. Another pilot who was sitting in the passenger cabin went in to replace the additional pilot, and they essentially landed the plane." Mr Meness said "three of us jumped" on the attacker "forcefully" before they tied him up with "his own zip ties" and headphones. "That is how we neutralised him," he said. 'True hero' passenger 'pulled controls' of plane after pulling attacker out of cockpit One of the passengers, a man called Yoniv, has been labelled as a "true hero" by Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli PM posted a video of him meeting Yoniv, asking the passenger if the blood on his T-shirt was that of the attacker. He replied: "It's from him, yes." Netanyahu then tells Yoniv that "it's simply unbelievable what you did". The passenger then told the Prime Minister about how he broke through the door, saying he struggled at first as the stabbed pilot was too close to the door. He manage to open it, however, before the stabbed pilot "collapsed", revealing the attacker "on the instruments, between the two seats". Yoniv explained he then "grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold and pulled him outside". The passenger said the attacker was "trying to destroy the instruments in order to disable the plane". Yoniv was then helped by other passengers to "pin down and keep the attacker secure" before he "pulled the controls [of the aircraft]". Surprised, Netanyahu asked: "You pulled the controls?" Yoniv replied: "I watch Air Crash Investigation, Mr Prime Minister. The plane started to level out a bit more and then the pilot told me he was taking control from there." Suspected hijacking 'thought to be 9/11 scenario' Today's suspected hijacking could have been part of a 9/11-style plot to crash the FlyDubai plane into a tower block in the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv, Israeli security sources have told The Telegraph. A source told said that Israeli security services believe one of the pilots onboard flight FZ1073 may have planned to crash the aircraft in an Israeli city. The incident is "thought to be a 9/11 scenario" where one pilot kills the other and crashes the plane, the source added. Passengers' relief after landing In pictures: Passengers arrive at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv Passengers have been pictured arriving at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, after what many have described as a "terrifying" ordeal. As they walked out of the airport, one passenger was seen raising his arms in relief, while others looked visibly shaken. One woman was pictured making thumbs-up gestures with both hands as she got into a taxi. 'Thank God I am alive,' says passenger on board FlyDubai plane We’re now hearing accounts of the incident from passengers who have just landed at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on a replacement flight. One passenger on board the FlyDubai plane described the moment the aircraft descended rapidly as "very, very terrifying". Speaking to reporters at the airport, the man said he was sitting next to his wife and young son when he felt the plane drop by "about 6km". He said he believed he was going to "lose my family", adding: "Thank God I am alive." 'Hero' pilot stabbed by alleged attacker is named by Indian media A pilot stabbed during the incident on today's FlyDubai flight has been named by Indian media outlets as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national. Machchhar has been praised for reportedly fighting back against the alleged attacker and alerting the crew and passengers to what was happening. He describes himself on LinkedIn as an airline captain with more than 13 years of commercial Boeing 737 experience and 9,750 flying hours. Machchhar's condition remains unclear. Saudi Arabia's Tabuk Airport earlier said both pilots had been hospitalised after sustaining injuries.