Six-year-old Nina Manes only wanted to use the bathroom. The Israeli family was flying home from a holiday in Tokyo, with a layover in Dubai, when Nina’s mother, Tali, took her to the toilet aboard flydubai flight FZ1073. According to Nina’s father, they heard shouting, fighting and very unusual sounds from the cockpit. Within moments, a child’s ordinary request had reportedly become the first alarm on a plane in crisis.
Here is what we know. On September 30, 2026, flydubai flight FZ1073, bound from Dubai to Tel Aviv, diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after what the airline called an altercation on the flight deck. The Boeing 737 MAX reportedly dropped more than 18,000 feet in under two minutes and briefly transmitted the 7500 hijack code. Flydubai later confirmed the emergency was triggered by a fight between the two pilots. The captain, Smit Machchhar of India, was stabbed, according to Israeli officials and passengers. Despite his wounds, he reportedly released the cockpit door lock, allowing crew and passengers to overpower the alleged attacker. The jet landed safely, and all 174 passengers, 27 of them children, were reported safe.
Some details remain contested. Flydubai said the aircraft was secured by on-duty crew travelling on the flight, while other reports describe off-duty pilots stepping in. The alleged motive is unconfirmed, and the investigation is ongoing. I will not speculate about anyone’s mental state, and neither should you.
Yet the human story is already clear, and it is extraordinary. A wounded captain chose the door over his own safety. The crew moved toward danger. A passenger, Yaniv Hayun, told Netanyahu he put the attacker in a chokehold and pulled back on the controls until a pilot took over. Strangers became a team in seconds. Psychologists call this collective efficacy: the shared belief, built on trust and preparation, that together we can handle what comes.
Back to Nina. Tali reportedly screamed for help, and her husband, Tzvika, pulled his daughter to safety before rushing into the cockpit with two other passengers. A dentist aboard treated the wounded captain. A child’s ears, a mother’s voice, a father’s courage, a stranger’s skill: no single link saved that flight, but each one mattered. What Nina absorbs about fear, courage and asking for help can shape how she handles stress for decades.
Here is what the headlines cannot say. The people we trust most with our safety are human. Pilots, surgeons, air traffic controllers and CEOs are screened, trained and certified, yet none of that makes them immune to burnout, grief, anxiety or isolation. Training builds skill. It does not erase strain. In high-stakes professions, a culture of silence turns private struggle into public risk.
October is World Mental Health Month, and the World Health Organisation observes World Mental Health Day on October 10. Awareness is welcome, but awareness without action is just a hashtag. Prevention is cheaper, kinder and safer than rescue. Heroes should never be our only safety plan.
So what does prevention look like?Â
Start by learning the early signals. Withdrawal from colleagues. Irritability that is out of character. Changes in sleep, appetite or concentration. Missed deadlines from someone who never missed one. Increased drinking. A flat, distant tone in meetings. None of these proves a diagnosis, and none should be used to label a person. They are invitations to ask a caring question early, privately and without judgment.
Next, build psychological safety, the belief that you can speak up, admit a mistake or ask for help without being punished. Researcher Amy Edmondson’s work shows that teams with high psychological safety surface problems sooner and learn faster. In aviation, crew resource management was built on this principle: the most junior voice in the room may hold the most important warning.
Here are four calls to action for this month.
First, ask one real question. This week, ask someone on your team, “How are you, really?” Then listen without fixing, judging or rushing. Five honest minutes can change someone’s week.
Second, audit your culture. Anonymously survey your staff: Could you ask for help here without risking your career? Share the results, and publish one change you will make in response.
Third, train your managers. Equip every leader to spot early warning signs, hold a supportive conversation and point people to confidential professional help. Managers are your first line of defence, so give them the tools.
Fourth, message me. If you lead an airline, airport, hospital or any business, reach out through DM and I will help design a confidential workplace mental health programme, privately, before a problem becomes public.
If you are struggling yourself, please speak to a doctor, counsellor or someone you trust today. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services.
Nina will grow up and tell this story one day, perhaps many, many times. I hope the part she remembers most is not only the fear, but the door that opened and the people who walked through it together. Let us build kinder, safer workplaces where help arrives early, long before anyone must be a hero. Open the door this month, together.
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Dr. Joshua Awesome is a Coaching Psychologist/Executive and Business Performance Coach who has supported over 100,000 professionals across Africa and the globe. He can be reached via: joshua@africainmind.org
