Fresh footage from inside the flydubai plane, on which Indian captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, has now emerged. Flight FZ1073 was carrying over 170 people when the cockpit confrontation led to a huge plunge in altitude before passengers and crew intervened.
In one of the videos, obtained by i24 news, an Israel-based news television channel, passengers could be seen gathered near the cockpit as people tried to understand what happened. Several passengers appeared to move towards the pilot’s cabin, while others remained outside and shouted instructions to those around them. The phone-camera footage, seemingly filmed near the cockpit, captured passengers shouting in English and Hebrew. A crew member could also be heard asking, “Doctor, is there a doctor? Passengers were seen moving in and out of the cockpit, with one coming out with blood on his shirt. Someone was also seen carrying what appeared to be medical equipment into the cockpit. Smit Machchhar was seriously wounded during the confrontation but managed to activate the cockpit-door release. Passengers then allegedly entered the cockpit and helped overpower the co-pilot. A plumber and other pilots who were travelling aboard the aircraft later helped stabilise the plane. It was subsequently diverted and landed safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. Smit Machchhar is stable now, as per the Indian embassy in UAE. Another viral video shows one of the Israeli passengers who helped subdue the attacker walking through the cabin after the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Passengers later described the aircraft appearing to lose control. This allegedly allowed passengers and crew to enter the cockpit and confront the co-pilot. One of the passengers who intervened was Yaniv Hayun, who later appeared at Ben Gurion Airport wearing the same blood-stained shirt.
The aircraft reportedly plunged by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds during the incident. One passenger said the plane was dropping for around 20 to 30 seconds before stabilising, only to begin descending again, HT reported earlier.
A person said, “He tried to crash the plane,” referring to the co-pilot who stabbed Machchhar. The clip showed people telling those inside the cockpit to “relax” and “go out, take him out,” while others were told to “sit down. Another voice said, “There’s an additional pilot here. Authorities have said they are closely monitoring his health. Saudi Arabia later said the attacker had been handed over to the UAE, as per AP. The man, in a video recorded by a passenger from her seat, was seen pumping his fist into the air as passengers around him chant “Am Yisroel Chai! (“The people of Israel live). Israeli officials said Machchhar, despite being seriously injured and covered in blood, managed to activate the cockpit-door release.
Flight-tracking data showed changes in the aircraft’s altitude during the fight. The aircraft dropped by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before recovering and continuing to experience severe altitude fluctuations. The passengers subsequently spent more than 10 hours in Saudi Arabia before travelling to Israel on a replacement flydubai aircraft.
He met with the people who intervened, including Yaniv Hayun, who was shown in a video released by Netanyahu’s office wearing the blood-stained shirt he had on during the incident.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later praised passengers for averting another “9/11-style” tragedy.
The co-pilot, identified by Israeli officials as an Omani national, was detained by Saudi authorities. The exact motive and circumstances surrounding the cockpit attack remain under investigation.
