Mystery pilots saved FlyDubai Flight 1073 after cockpit attack on Israel route
Two unidentified off-duty pilots stepped in to stabilise a FlyDubai aircraft after the co-pilot attacked the captain mid-flight. A passenger gave AP News one of the most detailed accounts of the incident.
Unidentified crew members seized controls as FlyDubai flight plunged
Three days after two uniformed pilots rushed into the cockpit of a FlyDubai aircraft to prevent it from crashing, their identities remain unknown, AP News reports. The airline has described them only as on-duty crew members who were travelling aboard the flight — but has offered no further explanation for the silence.
The plane was carrying 182 passengers bound for Israel when the co-pilot launched a repeated attack on the captain. Blood was reported throughout the cockpit. The captain, despite serious injuries, managed to unlock the cockpit door.
Passenger Daniel Schlichter, seated in the second row, gave AP News one of the most detailed first-hand accounts of what followed.
"This is one of the miracles," Schlichter said. "Not every flight brings two extra pilots. In this case, they brought them because they should have taken the plane back from Tel Aviv to Dubai — that is the only reason they were there."
The practice of transporting crew members as passengers to reposition them for a return flight is known as deadheading.
Passenger pulled co-pilot from cockpit before pilots intervened
After screaming passengers realised what was happening inside the cockpit, one person grabbed the co-pilot and pulled him out. Others physically restrained him. At that point, Schlichter said, one of the two travelling pilots moved immediately.
"He was actually kind of jumping above the guys that were handling the terrorist, and he reached out to the pilot area and started to take over," Schlichter said. "And then the other guy, the other pilot, joined in and they closed the door because they didn't want anybody else to be there."
The speed and decisiveness of the first man left a strong impression on Schlichter.
"He acted really like a hero, taking over the plane and reacted like he understood exactly what is going on, and I think we owe him our lives not less than the other heroes that went on the flight," he said.
Ten minutes to stabilise; part of the rudder torn away
Once both men were inside the cockpit with the door closed, Schlichter said he had no visibility into what was happening. It took "quite a lot of minutes — maybe 10 or more" to bring the aircraft back under control after a descent so severe that part of its rudder was torn away. A mayday call was made as the men searched for a suitable emergency landing site.
In the meantime, passengers were left without any communication from the cockpit, which heightened anxiety among those already shaken by the attack.
"After they managed to stabilise the aeroplane, actually they did not have any communication with us, and I have to tell you, I was worried about this," Schlichter said.
He admitted he feared a worst-case scenario — that the men now in control might divert the aircraft to a hostile destination.
"That the men might be hijacking the plane into maybe Iran, or I don't know where, because we're actually not too far," he said.
Emergency landing in Saudi Arabia; passengers relieved
After approximately 45 minutes, the pilots announced over the intercom that the aircraft would be landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and that the situation was under control. For Schlichter, that was the moment he chose to trust them.
"And it turned out to be true," he said.
FlyDubai has not publicly explained why it has not identified the two men, nor provided any further detail on their backgrounds or roles. Investigations into the co-pilot's actions — including his time spent in Australia — are reportedly under way by security agencies, according to earlier reporting cited by AP News.
The flight was carrying Israeli passengers, some of whom had previously been aboard a separate FlyDubai aircraft that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The rescued plane subsequently approached Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
Source: Google News MT