Five men, an Indian pilot and four Israeli passengers, have emerged as heroes after a flydubai flight reached safety following an Omani co-pilot’s alleged attempt to crash the aircraft carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, and six crew members.
Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed Indian pilot Smit Machchhar and tried to take control of the aircraft. Despite suffering grave injuries, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door and alert the crew, allowing passengers and crew members to intervene.
The aircraft was eventually diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia after Machchhar issued an emergency signal. He is recovering at a hospital there.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were among those who praised Machchhar’s courage. Israeli officials also highlighted the role played by four Israeli passengers, Yaniv Hayun, Assaf Rajuan, Zvika Manes and Shota Musaev, in bringing the crisis under control.
According to Ynet News, Hayun, Rajuan and Manes helped overpower and restrain the suspected attacker, while Musaev treated the severely wounded Machchhar. Two off-roster pilots subsequently took control of the aircraft and landed it at an airport in Saudi Arabia.
Here are the five men who played crucial roles during the mid-air emergency.
Smit Machchhar: The Pilot Who Raised The Alarm
Machchhar was flying the aircraft when his Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked him, apparently using a crash axe from the cockpit.
Despite his severe injuries, the Indian pilot managed to open the cockpit door, alerting the crew and passengers to the danger before collapsing. His action allowed others aboard the aircraft to enter the cockpit and confront the suspected attacker.
Hayun later said he believed Machchhar had opened the door before collapsing.
“My conclusion is that he managed to open it for us before he collapsed, with tremendous presence of mind.”
Machchhar also issued an emergency signal before the aircraft was diverted to Tabuk. He remained conscious after the attack and communicated with those treating him despite suffering serious blood loss. He is recovering at a hospital in Tabuk.
Yaniv Hayun: The Plumber Who Pulled The Attacker From The Controls
Yaniv Hayun, a plumber, was among the passengers who rushed towards the cockpit as the aircraft descended rapidly.
A video shared by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office showed Netanyahu meeting Hayun at Tel Aviv airport after he returned to Israel. His shirt was stained with blood, although he said he had not been injured.
Hayun said the cockpit door was unlocked when the passengers reached it and believed Machchhar might have opened it before collapsing.
“When I went in, I saw the terrorist on the controls, between the two seats. There were no pilots in the seats,” he said, explaining that he grabbed the co-pilot and dragged him out.
Asked what the attacker had been doing, Hayun said, “He was trying to destroy the controls in order to disable the plane.”
Hayun then pulled back on the aircraft’s yoke in an attempt to level it, drawing on what he had learnt from watching television.
“I watch Mayday.”
Assaf Rajuan: The Businessman Who Helped Overpower The Co-Pilot
Assaf Rajuan, an insurance agency owner, was returning from a holiday in Thailand when the emergency unfolded.
He told Ynet News that passengers first realised something was seriously wrong after hearing screams near the restroom.
“We heard screams from near the restroom. A girl’s mother came out screaming, and we understood something had happened to the plane. It lost control, went down at a 90-degree angle, and we understood there was no control over the aircraft and something had happened,” he said.
Rajuan said passengers then saw the cockpit filling with blood. He joined Manes and two other men in confronting the suspected attacker.
“People went in. There was a guy who got there before me named Zvika Manes. I went in with two other guys, and we tried to overpower the attacker, and we succeeded,” he said.
Rajuan said passengers and crew members kept the man restrained until the aircraft landed.
“We also had help from some of the crew. We managed to keep the attacker neutralised for 50 minutes and land in Saudi Arabia,” he added.
Zvika Manes: The Banker Who Used Headphone Cables To Restrain The Attacker
Zvika Manes, CEO of Bank Leumi’s underwriting company, was another passenger who responded as the crisis unfolded.
Manes said he helped restrain the suspected attacker using cables from multimedia headphones distributed aboard the aircraft.
“There was a lot of blood. The plane plunged rapidly like you see in horror movies. There were screams. It was a very difficult event until the pilot stabilised the plane,” Manes recalled.
According to Manes, the suspected attacker was “really trying to fly the aircraft toward the ground, and people were thrown around and screaming.”
After passengers overpowered him, they used considerable physical force to keep him restrained.
“We later tied him up and neutralised him. It took quite a bit of physical force. He was a strong man, probably full of adrenaline,” Manes said.
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Shota Musaev: The Dentist Who Stopped The Pilot’s Bleeding
Dentist Shota Musaev initially rushed towards the cockpit to help confront the suspected attacker. Once the man had been restrained, Musaev turned his attention to Machchhar.
Musaev, reportedly the only doctor aboard the flight, found the pilot suffering from severe bleeding.
He described Machchhar as “in very bad shape, with heavy bleeding from his head and hands.”
“I was the only doctor on the plane. I managed to stop the bleeding, and the pilot was fairly stable until shortly before landing, when his condition deteriorated somewhat,” he said.
Musaev later told CNN that Machchhar had suffered extensive cuts.
“His head and his hands were practically sliced open, almost severed in two,” Musaev said.
“He was in serious condition, not critical perhaps, but serious because of the blood loss.”
Musaev also recalled that Machchhar remained conscious and communicated with those around him while lying in a pool of blood on the aircraft floor.
Video footage circulated on social media showed two bloodied and wounded men lying on the floor of the aircraft.
