‘I watch Mayday’: Israeli passenger says Canadian documentary helped him take control of flydubai flight
Hayun further narrated the incident and stated that he jumped back in the cockpit as the flight began to tilt, grabbed the controls, started pulling them.
Yaniv Hayun, an Israeli passenger, recounted his account of how he and another passenger took control of a flydubai flight after the injured Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, opened the cockpit door. Despite Machchhar's injuries, he managed to open the door and then collapsed, allowing the passengers to enter. The confrontation between the two pilots caused the aircraft to plummet nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.
Passengers and off-duty pilots quickly regained control, restraining the attacker and securing the aircraft. The emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, was successful, with both pilots taken to the hospital. The motive for the cockpit incident remains unknown and is under investigation.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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