(Oct. 7, 2026 / JNS)
Despite footage from multiple angles and testimony from those involved, conspiracy theories circulated quickly that the attack on Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight 1073 on Sept. 30 was a “false flag,” which Israel was said to have faked to win sympathy.
Some of the conspiracy theories center on whether it is plausible that the airplane could survive a nosedive, reportedly of 14,000 feet in less than a minute, and if an Israeli plumber could actually realign it safely.
According to news reports, the Boeing 737 Max 8 entered service with flydubai on Dec. 21, 2022. Of 174 passengers on board, 150 were said to be Israeli citizens and six crew members. Omani pilot Hamam al-Hammami allegedly stabbed his Indian co-pilot, Smit Machchhar, who was reportedly able to unlock the cockpit door.
Israeli passengers came to the rescue, restrained al-Hammami and gave medical treatment to Machchhar, according to news reports. An Israeli plumber named Yaniv Hayun said that he pulled back on the yoke, the equivalent of a steering wheel, to level the plane and that he’d learned what to do from watching the television series “Mayday.”
Two off-duty pilots took over flying the plane and landed it in Saudi Arabia.
The 737 Max 8 seats between 160 and 180, with a maximum takeoff weight of 182,200 pounds, has a flight range up to about 4,025 miles and has a wingspan of 117 feet and 10 inches, according to Boeing.
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