Passenger on FlyDubai flight describes cockpit stabbing, emergency landing
Adam Polo was a passenger on the FlyDubai flight that was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after passengers said one of the pilots violently tried to seize control of the plane and crash it. Polo joined CBS News to discuss his experience. Following Polo's comments, CBS News reporter Dov Lieber and longtime pilot Paco Chierici provided additional context.
Passengers on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv recounted their experience of subduing an attacker who had stabbed the other pilot. Yaniv Hayun, who put the attacker in a chokehold, described the aircraft dropping 17,000ft in under two minutes. The plane suddenly dropped, causing screams and darkness, before he managed to open the cockpit door and find one pilot down and another attacking the instruments.
Hayun and another man restrained the assailant outside the cockpit in mere seconds. He then returned to the cockpit, where pilots had taken control. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended Hayun, calling him a "great hero" and a "lion." Another passenger, Zvika Meness, helped overpower the attacker, tying him up with zip ties and headphones.
The plane eventually landed at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, where passengers were met with cheering crowds. One passenger, Haim Lazarovich, called the moment the pilot lost control the most terrifying. The stabbed pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, was taken to a hospital in stable condition. The attacker, an Indian national, is in custody and under questioning.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the incident as a potential jihadist terror attack. No further details about the motive were provided.
Written by urgent.news from BBC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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