Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Indian pilot Smit Machchhar was stabbed or struck with an axe by his copilot during the mid-air cockpit incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, but managed to unlock the cockpit door despite being seriously injured and bleeding profusely.
Calling Machchhar’s actions a “tremendous act of heroism”, Netanyahu said his efforts helped prevent what could have been another 9/11-style crash. He said the aircraft was heading into a nosedive when Machchhar, “fighting for his life”, managed to unlock the cockpit door.
“What we know is that this plane that was heading from Dubai to Israel, as they approached Israel, one of the co-pilots stabbed or hit with an axe the other pilot, an Indian pilot. The pilot who was hit, bleeding profusely and fighting for his life, managed to unlock the cockpit door, but the plane was going into a nosedive,” Netanyahu said.
“I think what happened is a tremendous act of heroism that prevented another 9/11 style crash of an entire airplane,” Netanyahu said in an interview with CBS News.
Passenger Rushed Towards Cockpit
Netanyahu said an Israeli passenger sitting in row 18 rushed towards the cockpit after hearing screams and tried to open the door.
“When they heard the screaming, a passenger, an Israeli passenger sitting in row 18, rushed to the cockpit trying to open it. When the plane started to nose-dive, he was thrown aside in that area where the stewards are, the flight attendants are, and somehow he managed -- there was a moment where I think they hit an air bump or something -- and anyway, he had the opportunity; he went through the door, bust through,” Netanyahu said.
According to Netanyahu, the passenger then saw the pilot who had allegedly attacked Machchhar trying to interfere with the aircraft’s controls.
“He saw the pilot who attacked the other co-pilot between the two seats trying to jam the equipment, the flight equipment; obviously, it looks like he wanted to obviously bring the whole plane down,” he said.
The passenger grabbed the suspected attacker from behind and pulled him away before taking control of the aircraft, Netanyahu said.
“Grabbed him from behind, pulled him back, then, unbelievably, took the stick, pulled it back. This is not a pilot, this is a plumber,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said he later met the passenger at the airport and asked what he did for a living.
“I asked him, ‘What do you do for a living?’ Because I met him at the airport when he came then they all came back to Israel, and I said, ‘What do you do for a living?’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m, you know, I’m I unclog sewage clogs.’ And I said, ‘Well, you certainly unclogged a big one this time,’” he recalled.
Reserve Pilots Stabilised Aircraft
Netanyahu said another Israeli passenger and an air crew member joined the passenger and helped overpower the suspected attacker. Reserve flight crew members travelling with the passengers then entered the cockpit and stabilised the aircraft.
“He was joined by another Israeli and one of the air crew; they overcame the attacker. And then the reserve flight crew that were sitting with the passengers came in, stabilized the aircraft,” Netanyahu said.
According to Netanyahu, the aircraft’s rudder and tail had been damaged, making it difficult to stabilise the plane before it landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
“It was difficult to do because the rudder and the tail had been damaged, but they managed to stabilize the plane, bring it down in Saudi Arabia, and save the day. It’s incredible heroism,” he said.
Netanyahu said Machchhar’s actions were particularly remarkable given the circumstances.
“I don’t know how he did it. I, I have to tell you, I’m, you know, I’m a veteran of a special unit, I’ve been in tough places, but never like this. It’s incredible,” he said.
Flight Diverted To Saudi Arabia
The incident occurred aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Machchhar was seriously injured after he was allegedly attacked by his copilot, who Israeli officials said attempted to take control of the aircraft.
Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene. The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
Flydubai acknowledged that “an altercation occurred in the flight deck” and said the aircraft “was successfully secured by on-duty FlyDubai crew traveling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely.”
The passengers were later flown to Tel Aviv on another aircraft.
Netanyahu had earlier praised Machchhar for his “unbelievable courage”, saying the pilot and passengers helped prevent what could have been “another 9/11”.
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Flydubai Temporarily Suspends Israel Flights
Machchhar is a seasoned pilot who flies as a direct-entry captain with UAE-based carrier flydubai. He has more than 13 years of commercial aviation experience and around 9,750 flying hours, predominantly on Boeing 737 aircraft.
Before joining flydubai, he spent 11 years with Indian airline SpiceJet, where he served as a line training captain.
Meanwhile, flydubai will temporarily suspend flights to and from Israel while an investigation into Wednesday’s mid-air incident is underway, an airline spokesperson said.
