An empty cockpit, a severely injured pilot, and passengers fighting to control a diving jet marked a violent onboard struggle during a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, according to reports. A passenger named Tal stated that the cockpit was temporarily unoccupied while the aircraft lost significant altitude over Saudi Arabia.
Passengers Help off-Duty Pilots Regain Aircraft Control
The copilot attacked his colleague during the flight, according to the sourced reports. Despite sustaining severe injuries, the primary pilot managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower the attacker. Tal told the Jerusalem Post that he saw one pilot injured and another fighting, while the plane entered a steep descent. Tal recounted that he had to physically shake two off-duty pilots who were sitting near him and scream at them to take control of the aircraft. One of the pilots eventually went forward and took the controls, while the second took longer to recover from the shock.
Securing the Flight After the Attack
After subduing the attacker using charging cables as makeshift restraints, three Israeli passengers assisted with physical restraint and logistics, while an Israeli dentist treated the heavily injured Indian pilot. Once the two off-duty pilots secured the cockpit, they led crew members away from the immediate chaos, announced that they were taking over the flight, and stationed an Israeli passenger next to every crew member. Tal stated that all Israelis on board agreed they needed to control critical positions, noting there was no formal chain of command and people simply assumed various tasks.
Israel Classifies Incident as Jihadi Terrorist Attack
The exact motives and intentions of the suspected attacker remain unclarified, though the Israeli government already classifies the incident as a jihadi terrorist attack. While eyewitness accounts provide a detailed timeline of the chaos inside the cabin, the sequence of events cannot currently be independently verified.
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