An attempt to crash a plane with 180 people on board was made by the co-pilot of a Flydubai plane taking off from Dubai and set to land in Tel Aviv on Sep. 30. The attempt was unsuccessful. Still, many theories and investigations persist to determine how this occurred and what can be done to prevent a similar incident.
At around 8:20 am local time, the Omani co-pilot of Flydubai flight 1073 began to stab the captain, Indian national Smit Machchar. Details of what happened inside are still under investigation and not 100% clear. Still, it is believed that despite his injuries, Machchar was able to fight back and open the cockpit door, which subsequently allowed people to enter the cockpit and subdue the attacker. At this point, the plane entered a steep nosedive, going far faster than it was designed for and plummeting more than 14,000 feet in 30 seconds. The passengers of the flight managed to break in, and one of them, Yaniv Hayun, an Israeli plumber with no flight experience, was able to stabilize the plane by pulling back the yoke, something he learned from the TV show, ‘Mayday’. Remarkably, the plane suffered little damage during the maneuver. A backup British pilot then took control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Saudi Arabia.
Many continue to praise the heroic actions of the pilot, crew, and passengers. A dentist on the flight, Shota Musaev, helped tie the arms of the attacker and provide medical aid to the wounded pilot. Many other passengers also helped fight the attacker, provide aid to the injured, and help the plane land safely. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised those involved for their heroic actions in averting the threat. Israeli President Isaac Hertzog, has said that the incident ended in “a great miracle.”
Israeli and Emirati politicians have begun investigating the incident. Emiratis have officially dubbed the event an attempted act of terror. Many questions continue to be unanswered regarding the flight, like how the knife was snuck in or the motives behind the attackers. POTUS Donald Trump has stated to the media that Iran may have been involved. A more crucial question regarding security was how a man who was so radicalized was allowed to be a co-pilot, and particularly how an Omani national was able to help fly a plane to Israel, something Israel prohibits entirely, given that Oman and Israel do not have any diplomatic relations. The UAE and Israel are claiming to work together to investigate the incident. As a security precaution, flydubai has been suspended from flying to Israel for six days.
Many politicians and civilians alike have compared this incident to other hijackings, including 9/11, especially given the 25th anniversary of that day. Many are continuing to question security protocols and argue for better background checks and new procedures for various airlines. Some have claimed that Flydubai 1073 was staged by Mossad or the Israeli government, without any evidence. Many comments also admit the attack was real, but blame Israeli policies and war in Gaza for triggering it.
The reactions to the event are mainly mixed, but the vast majority tend to praise the heroism and actions of the passengers, flight crew, and captain, who is in the hospital as of now.
