A passenger who says he mostly knew planes from watching the TV show Mayday ended up helping keep one in the sky after the FlyDubai cockpit attack on Wednesday. Israeli plumber Yaniv Hayoun says he was on the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the aircraft suddenly went into a steep dive and chaos broke out, the New York Post reports. After hearing shouts about a stabbing, Hayoun says he and others forced their way into the cockpit, where the co-pilot was attacking the captain and the controls. The plane was descending so sharply that the rudder was torn off.
Hayoun says he yanked the co-pilot from the seat, put him in a chokehold, then jumped back to pull the controls up, using what he'd absorbed from the Canadian disaster documentary series. "The plane started leveling out a little more, and then the pilot told me he was taking over from there," he says. Two off-duty pilots helped stabilize the jet and land it in Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraced Hayoun after the passengers arrived in Tel Aviv late Wednesday, the AP reports. On X, Netanyahu posted a five-star review of Hayoun's services, saying he is "a hero who saved many lives. He can help you too, I highly recommend!"
Others being praised as heroes include Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who managed to open the cockpit door despite severe injuries, allowing passengers and crew members to overpower the co-pilot. Dr. Shota Musayev, a dentist, grappled with the co-pilot and also treated the stabbed pilot, the AP reports. "He was just praying the whole time and was in contact with me, and I was afraid we would really lose him," Musayev said.
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