A passenger on board the allegedly hijacked FlyDubai flight has recalled the moment she closed her eyes and prayed as the horror attack unfolded. FlyDubai flight FZ1073 was bound for Tel Aviv but never made it to Israel because of an incident on board. A crew member was forced to issue an emergency hijacking alert shortly after 6.30am BST Wednesday following an alleged stabbing on board.
Attack and heroic response
It has been alleged that one of the pilots "stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane". The wounded pilot, named as Indian national Smit Machchhar, is said to have opened the cockpit door so passengers and crew could stop the attacker.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted his "extraordinary bravery." "Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster," Netanyahu said on X. "He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals."
Passengers take control
Two passengers reportedly helped take control of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and land it. Passenger Almog Itali said one of them was a British pilot and that they "entered (the cockpit) and pulled the aircraft up, pulled the yoke, stabilised the plane and landed us in Saudi Arabia".
Fighter jets were scrambled to escort the aircraft during its emergency landing, and aviation experts were surprised the plane did not crash after a descent so extreme that most of the rudder was ripped off the tail.
Rapid descent and aftermath
During the terrifying incident, the plane dramatically lost more than 14,000ft in altitude. Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the Boeing 737 MAX 8 falling from 30,875ft to 16,750ft in just 29 seconds - a drop of 14,125ft. The drop left passengers panicked, and passenger Naama Bershadski recalled thinking "We're going to die," as she closed her eyes and prayed.
Yaniv Hayoun was one of the passengers labelled a "hero" by Israeli Prime Minister after he overpowered the knifeman who allegedly stabbed the pilot of the plane. He revealed that he had learned how to land the jet after watching a TV show, Air Crash Investigation.
Yaniv told Benjamin Netanyahu: "We pinned him down to keep him secure and then I jumped into it (the cockpit) and pulled the controls." Netanyahu asked how he knew to pull in a backwards motion, to which Yaniv said: "I watch Air Crash Investigations Mr Prime Minister."
Investigation continues
The shaken passengers from the FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed Wednesday evening in Israel on another flight, as onlookers cheered. Israel's emergency services said they treated three passengers with minor injuries.
It was not clear what motivated the attack, which led Israel to scramble warplanes amid concerns about a possible hijacking. Israeli authorities are investigating the incident as a suspected terror attack. Defence Minister Israel Katz said initial information indicated the alleged attacker intended to crash the plane with everyone onboard.
