- Flydubai pilot allegedly attacked colleague, sabotaging aircraft systems.
- Co-pilot fought back; passengers restrained attacker, regained control.
- Plane rapidly lost altitude, made emergency landing in Saudi.
- Attacker detained; co-pilot hailed for preventing major disaster.
A Flydubai flight heading towards Tel Aviv narrowly avoided disaster on Wednesday after passengers and crew rushed into the cockpit and helped regain control of the aircraft following an alleged attack by one of its pilots.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the pilot stabbed his colleague and attempted to “sabotage the aircraft’s system”. The aircraft then plunged thousands of feet in just two minutes, triggering panic among those on board before the flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
The pilot accused of trying to crash the aircraft has not been publicly identified. The other pilot was identified as Smit Machchhar from India. Netanyahu said Machchhar fought back against the attacker and “managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster”.
ALSO READ | Who Is Smit Machchhar? Indian Flydubai Pilot Who Saved 174 Lives After Knife Attack
What Happened On The Flydubai Flight?
Flydubai flight FZ1073 took off from Dubai at 6:05 a.m. local time (10:05 p.m. ET), beginning its westward journey towards its destination near Tel Aviv. Around two hours into the flight, however, the aircraft began losing altitude rapidly and made a sharp turn towards the north, according to flight tracking data.
The plane dropped 17,400 feet in less than two minutes. At 8:31 a.m., the flight issued a distress call. Minutes later, it squawked 7500, the International Civil Aviation Organization code used to indicate a suspected hijacking.
Passengers said the sudden descent sent the cabin into chaos. Mika Bauman, who was on the flight, told CNN that the aircraft appeared to drop and spin as people screamed and children cried. She said she was convinced she was going to die.
Passengers Rush Into Cockpit
As the situation unfolded, passengers took matters into their own hands and moved towards the cockpit to confront the alleged attacker.
Yaniv Hayoun told Netanyahu that he placed the alleged attacker in a chokehold before dragging him out of the cockpit with the help of other passengers. Hayoun then took hold of the aircraft’s controls and helped bring the plane back under control.
Dr Shota Musaev, a dentist travelling on the flight, told CNN that he restrained the attacker using headphone cords and plastic zip ties. He then turned his attention to the injured pilot and began treating him.
ALSO READ | PM Modi Hails Pilot Smit Machchhar For Saving Flydubai Flight From Crash
‘We Didn’t Know Who To Trust’
Even after the alleged attacker had been restrained, passengers remained deeply frightened as the aircraft continued its emergency situation.
Assaf Rajuan told CNN that passengers could see only desert below them and feared they might be taken to an enemy country or forced to land in the middle of the desert. “We didn’t know who to trust,” he said.
Netanyahu said the suspected attacker had been detained and was being questioned by Saudi authorities. However, questions remain about how the incident unfolded and what prompted the pilot to allegedly attack his colleague and attempt to interfere with the aircraft’s systems.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
