What happened on the Flydubai flight to Israel? Here's what we know so far

A horrific air disaster that threatened a plane heading to Tel Aviv was averted, in an amazing development of events that occurred on Wednesday, when passengers and crew members bravely rushed to the cockpit and regained control of the plane. Flydubai flight FZ1073 departed from Dubai at 6:05 a.m. local time, heading west towards its destination near Tel Aviv.

Flight tracking data showed that about two hours after takeoff, the plane began to rapidly lose altitude and veer sharply to the north; It descended 17,400 feet in just under two minutes. The flight issued a distress call at 8:31 a.m., minutes before code “7500” — the International Civil Aviation Organization’s code used to indicate a hijacked plane — was activated.

A new video clip appeared documenting the difficult moments in which passengers and crew stormed the cockpit and fought to control the Flydubai plane. The clip shows a number of people gathered at the entrance to the cockpit, while a member of the cabin crew shouts asking the other passengers to sit in their seats, and calls for a doctor to provide assistance.

“We need a pilot,” someone shouted as the cabin crew hurried to get the first aid kit out. Passengers described scenes of chaos on board as the plane nosedived.

Passenger Mika Baumann told Ufoq News: “We suddenly felt a sharp landing and the plane started to turn slightly. Everyone was screaming, and there were children crying.” “I was absolutely sure I was going to die,” she added.

Other passengers stormed the cockpit and clashed with the attacker. Yaniv Hayon told Netanyahu how he tightened his grip around the alleged attacker's neck and pulled him out of the cockpit with the help of other passengers.

Hayon added that he then grabbed the plane's controls to help regain control, noting that his behavior was inspired by watching a television program that reenacted real air accidents. “I'm watching 'Air Disaster Investigations', Mr. Prime Minister, really,” Hyun said.

The plane began to regain its balance and fly somewhat level, then the pilot told me that he would take control of it from that moment on.” Shota Musayev, a dentist who was on board the plane, told Ufoq News Network that he tied the attacker using headphone wires and plastic ties, then began treating the injured pilot.

Even after the attacker was brought under control, the passengers remained in a state of panic. Passenger Assaf Rajwan told Ufoq News: “There was nothing but the desert below us; we were afraid that we would be taken to a hostile country or that we would land in the middle of the desert.”

In another exceptional development of events, there were people on board the flight who were skilled at flying planes, and they were able to land the plane safely. Both Netanyahu and Flydubai confirmed that two reserve pilots - who were in the passenger cabin - were able to regain control of the plane.

The flight was diverted to Tabuk Airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the plane landed at 9:54 am. In this context, David Soucy, an aviation safety analyst at the Ofoq News Network, stated that the presence of additional pilots on flights - while they are on shift - is highly unusual, “unless the purpose is to transfer them to take over duties on other flights.”

A video clip - which was circulated on social media and whose authenticity was verified by the Ufaq News network - showed a horrific scene inside the plane following the attack. It shows a seriously injured pilot lying on the floor of the plane, with a mask covering part of his face, which is covered in signs of pain. The man is shown pressing his blood-stained hands against his torso; He appears to be in pain but is still conscious, while a number of passengers help him and monitor his vital signs.

Directly near him, and guarded by a number of men, there is another pilot; He is the man the passengers on the flight claim is the assailant. He was also injured and lying on his side, and his white shirt was stained with blood in the abdominal area. They were taken to a hospital, according to the Saudi authorities.

Musayev told Ufoq News Network that the pilot who was stabbed on the Flydubai flight suffered “severe blood loss” and suffered “severe injuries,” adding: “His body was covered in wounds - in his head and hands - as his hands were actually split, almost separated into two halves.” Speaking to Ufaq News, a local politician from Mumbai's Ghatkopar East area - the birthplace of pilot Machhar - said that the pilot's family informed him that his condition was stable after undergoing surgery in a hospital in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

The Saudi Ministry of Interior stated that the co-pilot and the Indian commander - whom the co-pilot is suspected of having attacked - left for the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, on Thursday morning, accompanied by an Emirati security team, after obtaining a medical permit allowing them to travel. Netanyahu told Ofoq News that the suspect is an Omani citizen who is being interrogated in Saudi Arabia and will be transferred “soon” to the United Arab Emirates.

There are no official diplomatic relations between Oman and Israel, and it is not yet clear how the Omani pilot obtained permission to fly to Israel. The authorities have not yet revealed the identity of the pilot who allegedly attacked Machhar, nor has there been any confirmation of the motive behind the attack or the type of weapon used in this violent quarrel, although Netanyahu hinted in statements to Fox News that the tool used may have been a knife or an axe.

The passengers - whom Netanyahu said were “almost all” Israelis - arrived in Israel on a replacement Flydubai plane sent to Saudi Arabia. Before their arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, the families of the passengers were waiting for their loved ones with anxiety and anticipation, as some of them carried balloons with phrases written on them such as “Welcome back” and “Very happy to have you back home.”

A spokesman for the Israeli Airports Authority said that Flydubai passengers, after landing in Israel, were directed to a "designated reception area" where they met medical teams and underwent examinations. A 50-year-old passenger was taken to hospital with an injury to the upper part of his body, and his condition was described as “minor,” according to the official spokesman.

A number of Israeli officials praised the courage of those on board the plane. Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated that the incident ended with a “big miracle,” adding that Israel and the UAE would conduct an “in-depth and joint investigation” into the incident. According to two US officials, the passengers included four US citizens who also held Israeli citizenship.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also reported that there were two Australian passengers on board. The authorities continue to reveal the details of the horrific incident, many aspects of which remain mysterious.

An Israeli official told Ofek News that a group of Israeli agencies - including the General Security Service (Shin Bet), the Foreign Intelligence Service (Mossad), the army, and the Ministry of Transport - are participating in the investigation. The official explained that one of the main questions being examined relates to why the flight crew included a pilot from a country with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations.

Israel has some of the strictest aviation security protocols in the world, given the incidents of hijackings and attacks targeting airport lounges in the past. Departing passengers must undergo initial screening and questioning procedures, as well as multiple passport checks, advanced baggage screening, and sometimes a full body scan.

Foreign airlines must also obtain approval from the Israeli Aviation Security Operations Center before starting to operate flights to and from the country's airports. An Israeli security official told the Ofek News network that the Israeli Internal Security Service (Shin Bet) is also examining and auditing the data of all airline crew members that operate flights to Israel coming from the Emirates.

Marco Chan, a senior lecturer in flight operations at Kingston University in London, told Ofoq News that investigators will likely first examine the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. He added that they will also conduct interviews with the cabin crew, off-duty pilots, and passengers, and will also work to determine how to open the cockpit door, and how the weapon gets on board the plane, as well as review the pilot’s medical and training record.

The Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, held a conversation with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during which they agreed to cooperate against “extremist elements” that threaten security, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported. Meanwhile, a Flydubai spokesperson said later on Wednesday that the company had temporarily suspended its flights to and from Israel, while the investigation was still ongoing.

US President Donald Trump said he spoke with Netanyahu on Wednesday, describing the passengers' efforts to control the attacker as "absolutely amazing." For his part, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband expressed his "deep concern" about these events, but expressed "great satisfaction that the plane landed safely thanks to the actions of those on board."