Passengers on a morning flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv recounted scenes of panic and terror on Wednesday as their aircraft suddenly plunged thousands of feet while screams for help came from behind the cockpit door.
What began as a routine flight turned terrifying when a violent altercation broke out inside the cockpit in midair. Passengers described a desperate scramble inside the cabin as travelers realized the plane was out of control. Several rushed into the cockpit and subdued an attacker before two off-duty pilots helped steer the aircraft to a safe emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
“Within a few minutes, our plane completely lost control, and we felt that this was it — we were about to crash,” one passenger, Miriam Ohayon, told Israel’s Channel 24. “We heard screams on the plane, and when they opened the cockpit, there was a lot of blood.”
She recalled reciting a Jewish prayer often said in times of distress as the plane jolted through the air.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the attacker was a co-pilot, and Almog Itali, a passenger on the flight, told the BBC that there were two pilots in the cockpit and that “one stabbed the other.” He said that two off duty-pilots on the plane, one of whom was British, helped to land the aircraft after the altercation.
The incident began about two hours after takeoff when a passenger returning from the bathroom saw a struggle inside the cockpit and alerted passengers, Ms. Ohayon reported to her mother, Yasmin Ohayon-Abukasis.
Speaking to reporters at Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv Ms. Ohayon-Abukasis said her daughter had told her that the pilot had yelled “help, help, help” and that he was being attacked by a man with a knife.
Ms. Ohayon-Abukasis said her daughter had said that passengers had subdued the attacker and that a nurse and doctor on board provided initial medical care to the pilot.
Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed Flight 1073 descended more than 17,000 feet in less than two minutes. “The plane kept stabilizing and then dropping again for several long seconds,” Mr. Itali told Channel 12. The plane landed safely in Tubak, Saudi Arabia, and the pilots were taken to a hospital.
Adam Polovincik, 40, who was on the flight with his family, described it as an “extreme experience,” even as he tried to remain calm for his children.
Speaking by phone from Saudi Arabia, where Israel has no formal relations, Mr. Polovincik said the circumstances were surreal.
“They brought us food and drink, served us coffee,” Mr. Polovincik said. “Yes, there are a lot of soldiers here and government officials, but the atmosphere is very relaxed, pleasant and respectful.”
Leo Sands and Heedo Abu Laban contributed reporting.
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