At a moment when the panic was completely understandable, Israeli passengers aboard the hijacked FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv chose to act.

When the injured Captain Smit Macchahar managed to open the cockpit door before collapsing, the passengers rushed forward, confronted the Omani co-pilot, and helped to overpower and restrain him, clearing the way for the off-duty pilots on board the flight to reach the controls and take control of the plane.

Yaniv Hayon was among the first to confront the co-pilot, put him in a choke hold and removed him from the controls and out of the cockpit. With the plane in a steep descent, Hayon grabbed the controls and pulled back in an effort to stabilize the plane until trained pilots could take over.

Asaf Rajwan joined Hayon and the others in physically overpowering the co-pilot and helped keep him subdued as the crisis continued. Rajwan said they kept the attacker neutralized for about 55 minutes, and remained on guard until the plane landed safely.

Zvika Manes helped take control and restrain the co-pilot after the passengers entered the cockpit. He then helped secure the attacker using the cable from the airline headset, preventing him from regaining control while the plane was brought to safety.

Dr. Shota Musaev, a dentist, turned his attention to the seriously wounded Captain Macher after the attacker was subdued. Musaev worked to stop the captain's severe bleeding from injuries to his head and arms, kept him conscious and on communications, and continued to treat him as the plane made an emergency landing.