A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an altercation broke out between the pilot and co-pilot, prompting the activation of a distress signal.
An Israeli passenger aboard the flydubai flight told The Jerusalem Post that one pilot stabbed another and tried to force him out of the cockpit as the aircraft began to plunge. Israeli officials later told the Post the growing assessment within Israel was that the co-pilot attempted to hijack the plane with the intention of crashing it into the ground.
The passenger said Israelis seated near the front rushed to the cockpit and fought the attacker while the plane was diving. Two other pilots seated at the back initially appeared shocked. “I shouted at them to run and take control of the plane,” the passenger said.
According to the passenger, the group managed to remove the attacker from the cockpit and get the two other pilots inside. One took control of the aircraft, while the other took longer to recover from the shock.
The passenger described the stabbed pilot as being in critical condition and said an Israeli dentist on board treated him and saved his life.
Uri, who was on the plane, told Walla, “I’m traumatized. I hope for good news. They told us a plane is on the way here, and we really hope that’s true. People are still terrified, especially after the plane suddenly plunged.”
“From what I understand, the pilot tried to kill himself together with us,” he added. “Apparently it was an attack. Some of the passengers helped the other pilot take control of him until they landed the plane.”
The aircraft initially disappeared from flight-tracking systems, raising concerns that it may have been hijacked. After several tense moments, however, the circumstances surrounding the incident became clearer, and the plane carried out an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The passengers are now waiting for a special aircraft sent by the airline that is expected to return them to Israel.
The motive of the pilot has not been made clear at this time.
One of the passengers said that Israeli travelers aboard the aircraft were the ones who separated the pilot and co-pilot after the two became involved in a violent altercation. Footage published from the flight showed one passenger with bloodstains on his shirt after intervening between the two pilots.
Family members struggle to reach loved ones aboard flight
N., a resident of a kibbutz in northern Israel, also told Walla that her 75-year-old mother was on the plane. Her mother had been traveling in Nepal for about two weeks with a friend and was returning to Israel via Dubai. Family members expected to pick her up at the Lev HaMifratz train station, near Haifa, before learning the flight had been delayed.
“There were moments of tremendous anxiety. We couldn’t reach her. We understand there is no reception there and that their SIM cards don’t allow them to make contact,” she said.
She acknowledged that “given the security situation Israel is in, a hijacking scenario initially sounded like a realistic nightmare scenario.”
“We hope this ends safely. We trust the security forces, and we trust the Saudis, and we hope to hear from her as soon as possible,” she concluded.
The mother of Ofir Spiegel, CEO of a public relations firm, was also on the aircraft while returning to Israel after a two-week vacation in Thailand.
Spiegel describes moment of terror when plane plunged
According to Spiegel, “The plane suddenly plunged, and all the passengers knew very well what had happened and understood that there was a problem with one of the pilots.”
Spiegel’s mother also said that Israeli passengers, some of whom were veterans of combat units, subdued the person who caused the disturbance. She said the passengers remained aboard the aircraft and had not yet disembarked.
“All the passengers are fine, but there were moments of anxiety,” she said.
Miriam, the daughter of Yasmin Abukasis, was also on the flight. Yasmin told Reuters that “Miriam said she heard shouting, and that a man pulled out a knife or pocketknife, pinned the pilot to the floor, and there was a lot of blood at the scene.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
