The pilot of FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 issued a trembling mayday call after a knife attack in the cockpit, forcing an emergency landing in Tabuk. The plane, bound for Tel Aviv, had been the subject of an emergency hijacking alert shortly after 6.30am BST on Wednesday.
Distressing mid-air footage sent by people on board – some soaked in blood – showed them restraining the attacker and pleading for help. Graphic video also showed one of the pilots drenched in blood.
Wounded pilot's actions
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.”
Passenger heroics
Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun has been praised for his heroics onboard. He revealed that he had learned how to land the jet after watching a TV show, Air Crash Investigation. Yaniv told 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.”
Emergency descent and mayday call
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.
According to the Associated Press a person who heard the flight’s communications with air traffic control described the plane being turned away by Saudi Arabia and Jordan before eventually landing in Tabuk, while passengers screamed in the background. The person said the pilot’s voice was trembling as he called “mayday” and said a hijacking was taking place and ambulances would be needed. But Saudi Arabia initially denied clearance to land and directed him to Jordan. The plane was told to wait for clearance from the Jordanian military and then turned away.
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.
