Unidentified pilots helped stabilise Flydubai flight after cockpit attack
A passenger told France 24 that two pilots travelling aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight entered the cockpit after the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain. The plane later made an emergency landing in Tabuk.
Two pilots travelling aboard Flydubai flight 1073 entered the cockpit and helped stabilise the aircraft after the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain, according to passenger Daniel Schlichter. Their identities had not been publicly reported as of 4 October.
Schlichter, speaking to The Associated Press in an account carried by France 24, said the pilots were aboard because they were due to operate the return flight from Tel Aviv to Dubai. The flight was carrying 182 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
He said one pilot entered the cockpit while passengers restrained the co-pilot, and a second joined him. Schlichter was seated near the front but could not see what happened inside once the pilots closed the cockpit door.
Schlichter estimated it took at least 10 minutes to stabilise the aircraft. The descent was reported to have damaged part of the rudder. He said passengers were told after about 45 minutes that the flight would land in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
UAE authorities are investigating the incident and its possible motives. Australian authorities are also examining the co-pilot’s links to Australia.
