Flydubai captain рассказал about the first officer’s attack on the Tel Aviv flight

Machchar рассказал about this during a video call with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that at the moment of the attack, he was fighting for his life, was seriously injured, and has been flying for 17 years, 11 of them as an aircraft commander.

According to the captain, he was lying on the cockpit floor, felt the plane going down, and understood how it would end. Despite the blows, he opened the cockpit door, after which other people entered.

The incident occurred on September 30 on flight FZ 1073, which was headed to Tel Aviv. The first officer attacked Machchar in the cockpit, the plane began to lose control, and several passengers managed to break in and subdue the attacker.

After that, other pilots on board took over control, and the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Machchar was first treated there, then transferred to a hospital in Abu Dhabi, where he continues treatment.

The suspected first officer was also transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, where an investigation into terrorism is underway. UAE presidential adviser on diplomatic affairs Anwar Gargash called what happened a dangerous terrorist act.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the suspect is a citizen of Oman, but the authorities have not yet disclosed his identity. The motive for the attack and the weapon have not been officially established: Netanyahu suggested it could have been a knife or an axe, and US President Donald Trump spoke about a possible link to Iran without providing evidence.

Sources

• Material: theins.ru