Flydubai captain questions plumber's alleged role in thwarting hijack attempt

Captain Smit Machchhar, who was injured while defending his aircraft from an alleged attack by co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, said he was unaware of any assistance from Yaniv Hayoun, an Israeli plumber who claimed to have subdued the attacker and helped fly the plane. The Flydubai Boeing 737, en route from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, dropped more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds after the co-pilot struck the captain with an axe, according to Israeli authorities.

Machchhar, who was treated for head and arm injuries in Abu Dhabi, told The National, "I don't know about the plumber story, to be very honest," and added that his focus at the time was on surviving the incident. He recalled trying to free himself from his seat belts and block the blows while the aircraft descended.

Hayoun later told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had grabbed the attacker, placed him in a chokehold, and removed him from the cockpit, saying he learned to control an aircraft from a television documentary series. The captain did not confirm these details, noting that his recollection was limited to the struggle for survival.

UAE authorities have stated that al-Hammami intended to crash the flight into a terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in a suicide attack. He has been transferred to the UAE for a terrorism investigation.