On September 30, flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv faced a cockpit emergency when the co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar and tried to take control of the Boeing 737 MAX 8.
The aircraft plunged thousands of feet before crew and passengers restrained the attacker. It made an emergency landing at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with all 172–174 people aboard safe. Flydubai has suspended Israel flights while investigators examine the incident.
In the above context, a video showing a physical altercation between passengers inside an aircraft cabin, followed by footage of a bloodied man lying injured, has gone viral on social media.
Users are claiming the footage captures the terrifying moments inside flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, where a co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain in an attempted hijacking on September 30, 2026.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “Indian pilot Smit Machchar refused to kneel before the terrorist! Even in an injured state, he fought the terrorist and opened the cockpit. Then the rest of the aircraft's crew members and passengers subdued the Omani terrorist. Watch the footage from inside the aircraft at that time and feel those thousands of feet up in the air, inside the plane, that terrifying situation. Was this a conspiracy like 9/11? Why did the pilot bring a knife into the cockpit?”
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same video was shared by the YouTube channel of The Independent on February 28, 2024.
The video was shared by a caption that reads, “This is the shocking moment a passenger headbutted an air steward on a flight out of Dubai. The man was reportedly drunk when he became violent in the business class section of the Emirates jet from the UAE to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Sunday night. Cabin crew onboard flight EK614 tried to restrain the rowdy passenger. But the video shows how he headbutted one of the male crew before being pinned down and restrained.”
The screenshot of the video was also shared by NDTV on February 26, 2024.
According to the report, an allegedly drunk and violent passenger caused panic on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Islamabad. Viral footage showed cabin crew tackling him after he reportedly tried to headbutt a staff member. Crew members restrained his hands and legs with cable ties for the rest of the journey. A video later showed him in an airport wheelchair, though his final status was unclear.
The incident was also shared by an Australian website news.com.au.
