Six-year-old girl's cries helped save passengers on Flydubai flight attacked by co-pilot
A six-year-old girl and her mother were central to the response during a mid-air emergency on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, after the Indian captain was allegedly stabbed by his Omani co-pilot. The aircraft descended thousands of feet before passengers intervened and an off-duty pilot helped land the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.
Nina Manes was travelling with her parents, Tali and Tzvika Manes, on Flydubai Flight FZ1073 when the incident unfolded. Nina and her mother played an important role in alerting people on board after hearing a violent commotion coming from the cockpit.
The flight, carrying 174 passengers, was travelling towards Tel Aviv when the Omani co-pilot allegedly stabbed Indian captain Smit Machchaar in an apparent attempt to take control of the aircraft.
Nina and her mother heard screams from the cockpit
Nina had asked her mother to accompany her to the forward restroom. It was while they were near the cockpit that they heard screaming and a violent struggle inside.
Tali later described the scene, telling Israeli Channel 12,
“There was blood all over the cockpit and very, very sharp fighting moves.”
As Tali tried to alert the cabin crew, the situation became even more serious. She said the captain fell through the cockpit door while the co-pilot was still attacking him.
“I screamed, 'He is stabbing the pilot, he is stabbing the pilot, come help!' People looked at me and didn't understand,”Tali said.
The captain, who was seriously injured, was eventually able to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and confront the attacker.
Her father rushed towards the cockpit
The aircraft then reportedly entered a steep descent. The Sun said the plane went into a tailspin and dropped 17,400 feet in about 90 seconds.
Nina's father, Tzvika Manes, rushed to his daughter after hearing her screams.
“The shreaks of my daughters when the plane nosedived [are still with me],”he said, according to The Sun.
He recalled his daughters crying that they did not want to die.
“They said, 'Dad we don't want to die.' [Their cries] were the triggers that caused me to run inside the cockpit,”Tzvika said.
He and two other passengers then moved towards the cockpit and helped restrain the alleged attacker. Footage showed passengers pinning him down while also assisting the wounded captain.
The intervention came as another pilot on board took control of the aircraft. An off-duty pilot subsequently helped fly the plane towards an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Dentist helped injured captain
The passengers also sought medical assistance for Machchaar, who had suffered serious injuries during the attack.
Tzvika said they asked whether there was a doctor on board, but a dentist responded instead.
“We asked if there was a doctor on the plane, there was a dentist actually,”he told CNN.
The dentist treated the injured captain using whatever supplies were available on the aircraft.
“He saved the life of the Indian captain, gave him oxygen, stopped his bleeding with blankets and all kinds of equipment that was in the area,”Tzvika said.
The aircraft eventually landed safely in Saudi Arabia. News18 reported that 166 of the 174 passengers were Israeli.
What happened in the cockpit?
Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and the identity and background of the alleged attacker.
According to the reports, the co-pilot is from Oman, although Omani authorities have not confirmed his nationality. The suspect is being held in Saudi Arabia, while investigations are also taking place in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel.
The reported nationality of the co-pilot has also raised questions because of aviation security arrangements between the UAE and Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox that existing restrictions prevent crew members from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from working on flights to Israel.
“We have constraints that say you cannot have pilots from countries that don't have diplomatic relations with Israel,”Netanyahu said.
“So obviously he was able to go through that.”
Captain Machchaar praised for his bravery
The incident has drawn attention to the actions of Captain Machchaar and the passengers who intervened when the aircraft was in danger.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Machchaar on Friday and praised his courage during the emergency. During their conversation, the injured pilot reportedly described what happened and what gave him the courage to respond during the crisis.