Passengers and an off-duty pilot helped bring flydubai Flight 1073 out of a steep dive during a reported cockpit attack, CBS News recounts. Its report draws on accounts from passengers, the captain and a dentist who treated him.
Passengers rushed to help
Manes told CBS that his daughter saw the co-pilot stabbing the captain and shouted a warning. Manes, Rajuan, Samuel and Schlichter described deciding to act as the aircraft plunged. The report says they and plumber Yaniv Hayoun ran toward the cockpit.
Captain Smit Machchhar told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the co-pilot struck him and that he fought his way to the cockpit door. Passengers then piled onto the co-pilot, identified in the report as Hamam al Hamami.
An off-duty pilot reached the controls
CBS reported that the aircraft plunged 14,000 feet in seconds and was less than 30 seconds from crashing. As passengers struggled near the cockpit entrance, an off-duty pilot reportedly left his seat and reached the controls. Rajuan said the pilot leaned over a chair to take hold of them and right the aircraft.
With the captain bleeding, passengers called for a doctor. Dentist Shota Musaev treated wounds to Machchhar’s head and hands and urged the crew to land, according to CBS. The report said the captain was taken to a hospital and was recovering.
Claims reported by investigators and UAE officials
CBS reported that Israeli investigators said they had found social-media posts in which the co-pilot discussed killing Jews. The report also said UAE officials described his actions as a “terrorist act.” These claims are distinct from the passenger and captain accounts of events aboard the aircraft.
Source: CBS News.
