“Suddenly, the aeroplane started to, like a rollercoaster,” passengers aboard the flydubai flight from o Tel Aviv described the moment chaos ensued over the skies of Saudi Arabia.
An altercation broke out in the cockpit of the , plunging the plane more than 14,000 feet (4,300 metres) in less than 30 seconds before the other pilots who rushed to the scene managed to stabilise the aircraft. Indian Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his colleague in the cockpit. During the struggle, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door.
A passenger describing the ordeal to the BBC said: “Suddenly the aeroplane started to, like a rollercoaster, drop down with a massive G-force.”
“Apparently one of the pilots stopped the other one and a couple of passengers and crew members took over and knocked it down,” he said. Itali said three or four passengers who intervened were injured but suffered only surface injuries. “They are very brave. They literally saved our lives,” he said.
Passenger Yaniv, who was aboard the diverted flydubai flight, said the pilot who was stabbed was positioned close to the cockpit door, making it difficult for him to get inside. Despite being injured, the pilot managed to open the door before collapsing, Yaniv said. He added that the attacker appeared to be attempting to disable the aircraft.
Another passenger, Zvika Meness, said he joined two other passengers in restraining the attacker after they witnessed the incident inside the cockpit.
Meness told the BBC that the three passengers subdued the attacker and tied him up using his own zip ties and multimedia headphones.
Speaking to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Meness recalled that a pilot who had been sitting in the passenger cabin rushed towards the cockpit after hearing shouting. “Then we saw stabbings, and they were thrown out. It was a very difficult incident,” he said.
According to Meness, the passengers intervened after witnessing the stabbing and helped overpower the attacker aboard the flight.
Several videos also surfaced on social media showing terrified passengers seeking help from an online community.
“We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane,” one passenger says. “At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists; we’re approaching landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help.”
He then says the plane is landing in “Tabuk, apparently in Saudi Arabia”, a place he describes as unfamiliar. Everybody on board is safe “other than the pilot”, he says, and asks for help again.
The plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia, and passengers have returned to Israel. An investigation has been launched by flydubai into the matter.
The Indian pilot and passengers who intervened to stop what appeared to be an attempted hijacking of the flight have been praised for their actions.
The pilot, identified as Captain Smit Machchhar, was credited by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with helping avert a potentially catastrophic incident. Netanyahu told CNN that Machchhar “managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster.”
