A passenger aboard the reportedly hijacked Flydubai flight has recounted the terrifying moment she shut her eyes and prayed as the shocking incident unfolded.
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was en route to Tel Aviv but never reached Israel due to an on-board incident. An emergency hijacking alert was triggered by a crew member shortly after 6.30am BST Wednesday following an alleged stabbing on board.
Pilot attacked and plane dive
It's been claimed that one of the pilots "stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane". The injured pilot, identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar, is reported to have opened the cockpit door allowing passengers and crew to subdue the assailant.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised 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."
Hero pilot praised by leaders
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called Machchhar a "hero." Taking to X he said: "In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valor helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy."
Little is publicly known about Machchhar, but according to his LinkedIn profile, he has worked for Flydubai for about four years. Before joining the airline, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain. He has logged more than 9,750 flying hours, according to the profile.
Passengers regain control
Two passengers reportedly assisted in regaining control of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and landing 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 dispatched to escort the aircraft during its emergency landing, with aviation experts expressing surprise that the plane didn't crash following such a severe descent that most of the rudder was torn from the tail.
The rattled passengers from the FlyDubai flight, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, touched down on Wednesday evening in Israel aboard another flight, to the cheers of spectators.
Passengers treated and investigation ongoing
Israel's emergency services reported treating three passengers for minor injuries. Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 revealed the Boeing 737 MAX 8 dropping from 30,875ft to 16,750ft in a mere 29 seconds - a fall of 14,125ft.
During the harrowing incident, the plane plummeted over 14,000ft in altitude. The rapid descent caused panic among passengers, with passenger Naama Bershadski recalling her fear: "We're going to die," as she shut her eyes and prayed.
Yaniv Hayoun, one of the passengers hailed a "hero" by Israeli Prime Minister after he subdued the alleged knifeman who reportedly stabbed the plane's pilot, disclosed that he had learned how to land the jet from watching a TV programme, 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 responded: "I watch Air Crash Investigations Mr Prime Minister."
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, prompting Israel to deploy warplanes due to fears of a potential hijacking. Israeli authorities are treating the incident as a suspected act of terror.
Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that preliminary information suggested the alleged attacker planned to crash the plane with all passengers onboard.
