After the passengers from a suspected attempt to hijack a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv landed in Israel on Wednesday night, testimonies describe how they, along with the pilot, wrestled with the attacker as he attempted to take control of the aircraft.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar "fought back" against his co-pilot's attempts to commandeer the plane, "despite being stabbed and seriously injured," thereby preventing a disaster. A statement by the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said that Machchhar is in stable condition.
One of the pilots, an Omani national, is suspected of trying to crash the plane over Jordan after stabbing his Indian co-pilot, Smit Machchhar.
Israeli officials have come to believe with growing confidence that the motive behind the terror incident was nationalistic. They are investigating whether a lone individual was responsible or whether the pilot was acting on behalf of a particular country.
About 180 Israeli passengers were on board the plane. After the pilot was subdued, the plane diverted its course to Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. The passengers were evacuated back to Israel about 10 hours later.
Assaf Rajwan, one of the passengers who fought the attacker, said several of them went into the cockpit, overpowered him with the crew's help, and restrained him with zip ties. He said two British pilots who were among the passengers went into the cockpit, and one of them, named James, managed to stabilize the plane.
Dr. Shota Musayev, a dentist who was on the flight, said he treated the pilot who had been stabbed after the pilot lost a lot of blood and was wounded in the hands and head. He said that after the attacker was subdued, passengers searched for the knife but couldn't find it, and feared he had accomplices on board.
Rajwan said that when he reached the front of the plane, a passenger named Tzvika was already there. "He and I and two other guys tried to overpower the terrorist, and we succeeded. The crew also helped us," he said.
"I have to mention James, if I'm not mistaken, who took the controls and managed to stabilize the plane," referring to the British passenger who took over flying the plane.
Rajwan stressed that he doesn't know what the motive was or what the attacker was trying to do. "All kinds of stories started going around about what he wanted to do, all kinds of speculation. I know what happened, from what I saw," he said.
"What I know is that the plane lost control and dropped, and luckily the right people were there at the right time. They managed to stabilize the plane and saved a lot of families. It was multiple people acting together, it really wasn't just me."
Zvika Mans, another passenger, told TheMarker that his wife heard screams near the cockpit and called for a relief pilot. "I and two other Israeli guys went into the cockpit and neutralized the terrorist," he said. "It was a huge miracle. The plane was already heading into a nosedive, but they managed to stabilize it." A doctor aboard the flight treated the injured pilot, who was later hospitalized, Mans said.
Yaniv Hayoun, another one of the passengers who overpowered the attacker, told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he reached the cockpit door and tried to open it with another person. He said the pilot who had been stabbed was lying near the door, which made it hard to open.
"When I went in, I saw the attacker on the instruments, between the two seats. One pilot was on the floor and one was on the instruments," he said. Choosing to act, Hayoun said it was "to be or not to be, as they say."
Hayoun said he entered the cockpit with another passenger, grabbed the attacker and put him in a chokehold to drag him out. According to Hayoun, the attacker tried to damage the aircraft's instruments. "I grabbed the attacker and choked him. First of all, I pulled him out," he said. He said he then called on other Israeli passengers who helped pin the attacker down and restrain him.
Yaniv, who neutralized the terrorist pilot, told Netanyahu: “I pulled the yoke up and stopped the plane’s dive. It’s lucky I had some aviation experience from @MaydayAirCrash series
Hayoun added that he then went back into the cockpit and pulled back on the controls. "I jumped back in, grabbed the yokes and started pulling them back … and the plane started to level out a bit more," he said. At that point, one of the passengers, who was a pilot, took over.
Naomi, who was on the plane, said one of the passengers went to the bathroom in business class, heard screaming, and saw the cockpit door open.
"She saw stabbing and started screaming: 'They're murdering here, they're murdering here!' I told her, 'What's all this hysteria? It's just an air pocket.' Afterward, we understood that she saved us, because thanks to her the men got up."
She said passengers were initially told the aircraft was flying on autopilot because there wasn't another pilot onboard. She later added that two British passengers turned out to be pilots and took control of the plane. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone," she said.
"It was a harrowing experience," Naomi recounted upon landing in Israel. "There was a young woman next to me who was crying, I held her hand and told her: 'Listen, we hit an air pocket. It's an air pocket, just a rough one.' I was lying to myself too, let's put it that way."
The passengers were evacuated from the Saudi city of Tabuk aboard a replacement flydubai aircraft for an hour-long flight.
"The Saudis were great, really, we must say," said Alon Margolin, who was also a passanger on the flydubai flight. He added, they "gave us food, gave us everything we need, and thanks for that."
On the treatment they received in Saudi Arabia, Naomi said, "Like royalty. They only needed to roll out a red carpet for us. They were wonderful." When asked if she feels that she got her life back, she replied, "A new life. Exactly like that. I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone."
Dalia Shpigel, a passenger, told Haaretz that the plane began shaking violently and losing altitude about an hour before it was due to land. "We felt that the plane was out of control and starting to dive, with very unusual jolts," she said.
Shpigel said a woman waiting for her daughter near the restroom saw what was happening in the cockpit and began screaming, prompting several passengers to intervene.
Passengers described scenes of panic as the plane plunged and screams erupted from the cockpit. Footage showed two injured, bleeding pilots, while a passenger said one had stabbed the other. Several Israelis reportedly broke into the cockpit and subdued the suspected attacker, after which another flight crew aboard the plane managed to stabilize the aircraft and land it safely.
