A dramatic mid-air emergency aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Israel was brought under control after an Israeli passenger, identified as plumber Yaniv Hayun, rushed into the cockpit and helped prevent the aircraft from plunging further after the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain.

The incident occurred aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers and crew members on board.

According to accounts from Israeli officials, passengers heard shouting and screaming from the cockpit before the aircraft suddenly began descending sharply. The Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, had reportedly been stabbed by the Omani co-pilot.

Despite being seriously injured and bleeding, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door. Hayun, who was seated among the passengers, then rushed inside and confronted the attacker.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hayun pulled the attacker away from the controls and then grabbed the aircraft’s control stick as the plane was in a steep descent. Other passengers and a crew member helped overpower the co-pilot, while qualified pilots who were travelling as passengers entered the cockpit and helped stabilise the aircraft.

Netanyahu later met Hayun after the passengers arrived back in Israel and praised him for his actions. Hayun’s clothes were reportedly still covered in the blood of the injured captain when he met the prime minister.

The aircraft eventually made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Several passengers suffered minor injuries, but the aircraft avoided a catastrophe.

U.S. President Donald Trump subsequently said he had spoken at length with Netanyahu about the incident. Trump described the co-pilot as possibly a terrorist or “whack-job” based on what he had been told, while stressing that he did not know whether all the details were true.

Trump also highlighted the extraordinary role played by the Israeli plumber, saying Hayun had never flown a plane but nevertheless helped pull back the controls and level the aircraft during the emergency.

The investigation into the attack, including the co-pilot’s motive and exactly how the cockpit confrontation unfolded, remains ongoing. Authorities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Oman have been involved in examining the incident.

Yaniv Hayun’s intervention was one part of a larger effort that included the injured captain, passengers, crew members and off-duty pilots who collectively helped bring the aircraft under control.