Passengers heard calling for a doctor and asking if another pilot was on board as crew scrambled
Newly surfaced video footage has captured the harrowing scenes aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 after Indian captain Smit Machchhar was attacked in the cockpit by his co-pilot, offering the most visceral look yet at the mid-air emergency that forced the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight to divert to Saudi Arabia last week.
The footage, aired by Israel’s Channel 12, appears to have been filmed by a passenger near the cockpit as the attack’s aftermath unfolded. It shows a bloodied Captain Machchhar lying on the floor outside the cockpit, having managed to unlock the door even as he was bleeding heavily, while the aircraft was in a nosedive.
Exclusive Footage Released
New footage from the FlyDubai flight has been released, showing the dramatic moments during the incident, including the suspect being subdued, the struggle both inside and outside the cockpit, and the search for additional pilots amid the chaos on… pic.twitter.com/Gvaj46FhaH— SNN Finland (@snnfinalnd) October 1, 2026
“Kill me, kill me”
In the video, Machchhar can be heard repeating, “He hit me so many times,” as passengers and crew scramble around him. At one point, in visible distress, he is heard calling out to the crew, “Kill me, kill me.” Other voices in the footage can be heard urgently asking whether another qualified pilot was on board and calling for a doctor, while someone is heard saying “take him out” as passengers worked to pull the co-pilot away from the cockpit area.
How the aircraft was saved
According to the footage and prior accounts from Israeli officials, passengers and crew rushed toward the cockpit as the plane plummeted and physically subdued the attacking co-pilot, allowing the aircraft to be brought back under control before it diverted and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has credited those on board with averting what he described as a potential “9/11 disaster.”
Where the investigation stands
Both Captain Machchhar and the co-pilot were hospitalised after the aircraft landed. Flydubai has suspended all flights to and from Israel while the airline works with investigators to determine what unfolded in the cockpit and why. Conflicting reports have circulated about the co-pilot’s nationality, and these details remain unconfirmed pending the outcome of the official investigation.
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