Alex Bystram, the executive producer of “Mayday,” was discussing a future episode with co-workers when he learned that one of his show’s viewers was a passenger on the terrifying FlyDubai Flight 1073, and used what he saw in the series to help stabilize the plane.
“If, incidentally, someone picked up a tip about something they saw in the cockpit and it worked and it had the right effect, then that’s a fantastic byproduct,” Bystram told CBS News on Thursday.
The passenger, Yaniv Hayun, told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met him at the airport, that he knew what to do because of the show.
Israeli officials said the FlyDubai plane was about two hours into its flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the co-pilot stabbed the captain.
Hayun said that amid the commotion at the front of the plane, he “ran toward the cockpit,” then the aircraft “went into a very sharp nose-down dive.” CBS News’ partner network BBC News said flight tracking data showed the aircraft plummeted more than 17,000 feet in two minutes.
Israeli officials and passengers said the captain, an Indian national, was able to fight off his co-pilot and unlock the cockpit door. Witnesses said a group of passengers and crew members then stormed the cockpit and subdued the co-pilot.
After helping to restrain the alleged attacker, Hayun said that he “started pulling back on the controls” of the plane, telling Netanyahu, “I watch ‘Air Crash Investigation,’ Mr. Prime Minister.” (“Mayday” is also known as “Air Crash Investigation.”)
After doing so, Hayun said, “the plane started to level out a little,” and then another pilot on board took control. Two off-duty pilots who were on the flight managed to gain control of the aircraft and make an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu hailed Hayun as a hero, telling him, “This is the honor. You are the honor. You are the hero.”
No passengers were seriously injured in the incident. The pilot sustained stab wounds in the attack. Saudi authorities said two crew members were hospitalized with unspecified injuries, and the co-pilot remained in custody on Thursday. The co-pilot’s motive in the alleged attack remains unknown.
“The heart of this show is lessons about aviation safety, so if in some minuscule way we increase the safety of the passengers on this flight, well, that’s just terrific,” Bystram said.
The Canadian series, which examines some of the world’s worst air disasters based on real reports, has been running for more than two decades and has produced over 200 episodes.
The show’s simulations are realistic, according to Bystram, but he did not expect someone to use what they saw in an episode in a real-life scenario.
“We have actual commercial pilots who fly the type of plane involved telling the actors what to do, telling the actors how to handle the controls, telling the actors what to keep their hands on and what to keep their hands off,” he said. “So, I’m not surprised that he got some accurate information based on watching the show.”
When asked if Bystram plans to produce an episode based on the FlyDubai incident, he said, “If there are valuable lessons about aviation safety to be learned from this episode, then absolutely we’ll do it.”
“But we’re not just going to do it because it’s salacious or dramatic,” he said. “It has to have a good, solid lesson or a good, solid impact on aviation safety.”