The two pilots who stepped in during the chaos aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 were on-duty crew members travelling as passengers, the airline has said. Their intervention came after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar during the Dubai to Tel Aviv flight.
The identities of the two pilots had not been publicly disclosed as of Sunday morning, four days after the incident. Flydubai has described them as on-duty crew members who were travelling on the aircraft.
Two pilots were travelling on the flight
The presence of the two pilots proved crucial when passengers realised something had gone seriously wrong inside the cockpit.
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Passenger Daniel Schlichter, who was seated in the second row, described their intervention to The Associated Press.
“This is one of the miracles,” Schlichter said.
He explained that the pilots were travelling because they were expected to operate the aircraft on its return journey from Tel Aviv to Dubai. Such travel by airline crew is commonly known as deadheading.
After Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door despite being attacked, passengers restrained the co-pilot. According to Schlichter, one of the travelling pilots then rushed through the group and reached the controls.
“He was actually kind of jumping above the guys that were handling the terrorist, and he reached out to the pilot area and started to take over. And then the other guy, the other pilot, joined in, and they closed the door because they didn’t want anybody else to be there,” he said.
Passenger recalls pilot taking control
Schlichter said the first pilot reacted quickly and appeared to understand the seriousness of the situation.
“He acted really like a hero, taking over the plane and reacted like he understood exactly what is going on, and I think we owe him our lives not less than the other heroes that went on the flight,” he said.
The aircraft had reportedly descended around 17,000 feet during the crisis, leaving the pilots with the urgent task of stabilising it. A mayday call was made as they searched for a safe airport.
Passengers feared another hijacking
The passengers did not initially know who the two pilots were. Their silence after taking control also created fresh anxiety.
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“After they managed to stabilise the airplane, actually they did not have any communication with us, and I have to tell you, I was worried about this,” Schlichter said.
He feared the aircraft could be hijacked again, possibly towards Iran. About 45 minutes later, however, the pilots announced that the plane would land in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and reassured passengers that everything would be fine.
Schlichter said he then trusted them. The aircraft ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia.