Israel’s PM says pilot tried to crash rerouted plane from Israel to Saudi Arabia

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday, September 30, that the pilot of a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight had tried to crash the plane and kill its pᴀssengers. Pᴀssengers gave a similar account of the incident on board, describing a fight for control after the plane suddenly plummeted, losing around 17,000 feet of altitude in the span of a minute, according to the Flightradar24 website. The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Flydubai said all the pᴀssengers – of whom 166 out of 174 were Israeli, according to media reports – were safe.

“During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Netanyahu said in a video message. He said he spoke to an Israeli pᴀssenger who broke into the cockpit as the plane started to plunge and fought the pilot who was trying to bring down the aircraft. “I salute these heroes, who showed extraordinary resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives, they prevented a major disaster.”

The flight was rerouted to Tabuk airport, in Saudi Arabia, “at 9:45 am and its captain and copilot were found to have injuries and were transported to hospital,” a statement from the company operating the airport said. A second flight carrying the pᴀssengers from Tabuk to Tel Aviv landed on the tarmac of Ben Gurion airport at 18:34 local time.

‘Out of control’

Pᴀssenger Miryam Shira Ohayon told reporters by speakerphone held up by her mother, who was waiting at Ben Gurion, that the plane was “pretty much out of control” after one of the pilots tried to stab the other while they were flying over Jordan en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. “So the co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane,” she said. “It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralized him,” Ohayon said, adding a doctor on board provided first aid. “Other than the pilot, there were no injuries, but the bigger fear was really a crash, which is exactly what he was trying to do.”