The identities of the two additional pilots who helped bring a flydubai flight under control during a mid-air cockpit attack remain undisclosed, even three days after the incident. Flydubai has only said that the two were members of its crew who were travelling as passengers on the same aircraft. The airline has not explained why their identities have not been made public.
Why were two additional pilots on the flight?
Passenger Daniel Schlichter, who was seated in the second row, described the incident and said the presence of the two additional pilots was nothing short of a miracle. According to Schlichter, the pilots were travelling on the flight because they were supposed to fly the aircraft back from Tel Aviv to Dubai. When crew members travel as passengers for operational reasons, the arrangement is known as “deadheading”.
The two pilots were therefore not operating the flight when it took off, but their presence became crucial after the situation inside the cockpit escalated.
What happened inside the cockpit?
Schlichter said passengers suddenly heard shouting from the cockpit and learned that the co-pilot was repeatedly attacking Captain Smit Machchhar. He described seeing blood around the area. Despite being seriously injured, Machchhar opened the cockpit door. One passenger then grabbed the alleged attacker, identified as Hamam Al-Hamami, and pulled him out of the cockpit, while other passengers tried to restrain him.
It was at this point that one of the two additional pilots stepped in.
Pilot reportedly reached cockpit through crowd
According to Schlichter, one of the additional pilots quickly made his way towards the cockpit, almost jumping over the people who were trying to restrain the alleged attacker. He reached the pilot’s seat and immediately took control of the aircraft. The second additional pilot then entered the cockpit, after which the two closed the door. Schlichter later described the first pilot’s actions as heroic, saying he took command of the aircraft and appeared to know exactly what needed to be done.
He said the pilot’s contribution to saving the passengers’ lives was comparable to that of the other people who intervened during the crisis.
It took more than 10 minutes to stabilise the aircraft
The aircraft had been descending rapidly during the incident, and part of its rudder had reportedly broken. According to Schlichter, it took the two pilots around 10 minutes or possibly longer to stabilise the aircraft. During those minutes, passengers remained unaware of what was happening inside the cockpit. Eventually, a “Mayday” emergency call was made, and the crew began looking for a suitable location to land.
The situation remained tense as passengers waited for information about the aircraft’s condition.
Passengers feared the plane could be hijacked
Even after the aircraft was stabilised, the pilots did not immediately speak to the passengers. This added to the anxiety inside the cabin. Schlichter said some passengers began worrying that the aircraft could be hijacked and diverted towards Iran. The fear arose because the aircraft was not far from the region, according to his account.
Around 45 minutes later, the pilots finally informed passengers that the aircraft would land in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and assured them that everything would be fine. The passengers eventually placed their trust in the pilots, and the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk.
Captain Smit Machchhar has since been widely praised for his actions during the incident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also spoken to the Indian pilot following the episode.
(With inputs from AP)
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