Hero Passengers Thwart Hijacking on FlyDubai Flight

Last Wednesday began as an ordinary day for passengers on FlyDubai’s Flight 1073. By Friday, after a harrowing incident, they considered each other family. Daniel Schlichter, Zvika Manes, Tal Samuel, and Asaf Rajuan reunited to reflect on the ordeal for the first time since it occurred.

Schlichter recounted, “That minute is probably the longest minute of my life.” The shocking realization of the plane’s alarming descent flooded his mind with thoughts of what truly mattered. Holding his wife’s hand, he prepared for the worst.

The Boeing 737 Max was pitching into a nosedive over the Arabian Desert, approaching the speed of sound. The chaos began when the co-pilot attacked the captain and seized control, aiming to crash the aircraft filled with Israeli passengers. The plane descended 14,000 feet in mere seconds. Manes likened the G-forces to those of a roller coaster.

Inside the locked cockpit, Captain Smit Machchhar waged a desperate fight. “The co-pilot, he wanted to pray,” Machchhar described, “and suddenly there was a big blow to the back of my head.” Despite the threat, Machchhar managed to open the door, allowing passengers to intervene.

Manes’s family was seated in the first row. His young daughter witnessed the attack and screamed, “He’s stabbing the pilot. He’s stabbing the pilot.” Sensing that they could die, Manes felt an instinctual urge to protect his family. “I must run,” he resolved.

In a collective decision driven by survival, these passengers sprang into action. Tal Samuel noted, “In that moment, we became something different, like lions in a mode to save our lives.” Alongside an Israeli plumber, Yaniv Hayoun, they rallied to assist the captain, whom they regarded as a hero.

Rajuan explained that al Hamami, the co-pilot, had been barred from flying in Oman due to extremist views, now categorized as a “terrorist act” by officials in the United Arab Emirates.

Manes described the struggle with al Hamami: “I was jumping on him, punching.” Amid the chaos, Samuel noticed the empty cockpit. Nearby off-duty pilots responded swiftly, overpowering the co-pilot and righting the plane.

The priority then shifted to caring for Captain Machchhar, who was critically wounded. Zvika Manes recalled the urgent need for medical help: “We were shouting if there was a doctor.” Fortunately, Dr. Shota Musaev, a dentist, stepped up to the task. Faced with the severity of the captain’s injuries, Musaev urged the flight crew to land at the nearest airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Despite concerns about diplomatic tensions, they received aid, and the captain was swiftly taken to the hospital.

Dr. Musaev continues to support Captain Machchhar in his recovery. In a touching sentiment, he expressed that their shared experience created an unbreakable bond, echoing the sentiment, “If he hadn’t been smart and heroic, we would not be alive. On the other hand, if we had not been heroes, he would not be alive.”