Netanyahu hugs the passenger who saved the pilot and defeated the attacker on board the FlyDubai flight | Watch the video | Today’s news
A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv reportedly narrowly escaped disaster when one of the pilots allegedly tried to stab his colleague. Amid the altercation in the cockpit, Israel’s i24 News reported that the offending pilot tried to crash the plane. The flight was successfully diverted to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu meets the blood-soaked man who saved the pilot
In the midst of this, the passengers made a heroic effort to subdue the alleged assailant and save the injured pilot. One of them met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the viral video, Netanyahu is seen talking to the man. The man was wearing a bloody T-shirt and was hugging the Prime Minister.
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FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 had a violent altercation in the cockpit where the co-pilot stabbed the captain, leading to a dramatic loss of altitude before the flight was successfully diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The flight made an emergency landing due to an argument between the pilots, during which one pilot tried to stab the other and allegedly tried to crash the plane.
Passengers intervened to subdue the attacking co-pilot and reportedly tied him up with a multimedia headset, allowing the remaining crew to regain control of the aircraft.
The pilot who was stabbed is Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national working for FlyDubai, while the other pilot who allegedly assaulted him is identified as Omani.
The exact motive for the altercation remains unclear as the investigation is ongoing, but it is reported that one pilot attempted to damage the aircraft’s systems, leading to serious safety concerns.
What happened
The incident took place on FlyDubai flight FZ1073 on Wednesday. According to the Times of Israel, the flight was carrying about 180 passengers when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the co-pilot. Reportedly, after the stab, the flight lost control and briefly dived 17,000 feet in less than a minute.
Israeli media added that the two off-duty pilots allegedly took control after the other pilot, an Omani national, was incapacitated by Israeli passengers after entering the cockpit.
Read also | Pilot fight sparks hijacking fears: Flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv flight diverted
Passengers remember the attack
Tzvika Manes, CEO of Bank Leumi Barak Leumi insurance company, was among the passengers who allegedly overpowered the assailant.
“My younger daughter was in the bathroom and my wife heard noises in the cockpit,” Kan told public broadcaster the Times of Israel.
“Another member of the team entered the cockpit and saw the stabbing and threw him out. Three of us jumped on him with all our might and tied him up with multimedia headphones, so we subdued him,” he added further.
A passenger identified as Daniel, who was also traveling on the FlyDubai flight, told Channel 12 newspaper: “All of a sudden I heard a fight. Something like a fight coming from the cockpit.”
“The door was a little bit open and I saw an attempt to push someone out. Then three Israelis who were sitting behind me came to see what was going on and suddenly the plane went into a sharp turn, nose down, with a very intense spin.”
“My understanding is that the co-pilot stabbed the captain and once the assailant was subdued, the other two pilots were on the plane and took over,” he said.
“The spinning stopped. It took a while — I don’t know, it felt like forever, but I think it was two minutes, at least two or three minutes, where the plane was just diving and spinning like crazy,” Daniel recalled, adding, “It was like, that’s it. It’s gone. 9/11 is happening again.”
An investigation has been launched. The motive or cause of the incident remains unknown.
