Tel Aviv: Chilling details are now emerging about the happenings on board the flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv that was diverted to an airport in Saudi Arabia after a hijack alert.
Some reports suggest that one of the pilots attempted to crash the plane and stabbed his colleague in the cockpit with a pocket knife.
The injured pilot then managed to open the cockpit door after which passengers noticed blood inside. Israeli passengers then helped restrain the attacker.
The aircraft apparently went into a steep dive at one point of time before being brought under control.
There were moments when those on board feared they would not survive, a passenger has said.
The aircraft, operating flight FZ1073, was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after transmitting an emergency alert.
The incident initially raised concerns about a possible hijacking and prompted Israel to scramble warplanes, Associated Press (AP) reported.
The Times of Israel Israeli later reported that the emergency stemmed from a feud between the aircraft’s two pilots, citing security officials.
Unconfirmed reports from Hebrew media also mentioned testimonies from passengers, suggesting that one of the pilots attempted to crash the flight and was stopped by the second pilot, with the help of passengers, as reported by News18.
A passenger described the frightening scenes on board the aircraft in a message to Israel’s Channel 12.
“We heard screams on the plane,” the unnamed woman said. The cockpit was subsequently opened, and passengers saw blood inside, she said.
“Someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocket knife,” the passenger added.
Israeli passengers and members of the crew helped restrain the alleged attacker, the passenger claimed.
“There were also moments when we thought we weren’t going to make it out alive,” she told the network, describing the fear among passengers during the incident.
Passengers prayed, “Shema Yisrael,” during the ordeal, she said.
Authorities have, however, provided limited details about what exactly happened inside the cockpit.
It was believed a violent altercation had developed between the two pilots, while the exact sequence of events remained unclear, The Times of Israel reported.
Another passenger, who identified herself as Noam, spoke to Channel 12 by phone and described hearing screams after passengers realised something was happening.
“Screams began on the plane by passengers who realised what was happening,” she said.
According to Noam’s account, passengers understood that one of the pilots had been stabbed and seriously wounded. She also said the aircraft appeared to lose control.
“It started to dive quickly. It was very scary,” she said.
While her account echoes the description of a serious cockpit incident, the exact circumstances surrounding the reported stabbing, the identity of the alleged attacker and what led to the aircraft’s rapid descent have not been officially established yet.
The aircraft ultimately landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, which has both civilian and military facilities.
Flight-tracking data indicated that the incident occurred about two and a half hours after takeoff.
Israel scrambled warplanes after officials feared a hijacking involving a plane carrying dozens of Israeli citizens. The country’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had recently warned of unspecified escalated security threats.
His office later said the situation was under control and that Israel was working to bring the passengers home.