The two pilots who stepped in to help control the FlyDubai aircraft after a dramatic cockpit attack on Indian pilot Smit Machchhar by his co-pilot are being described by passengers as among the key people who helped prevent a major disaster. However, three days after the incident, their identities remain unknown.
Flydubai has only said that the two were on-duty crew members travelling on the flight. The airline has not publicly explained why their names have not been released.
Two extra pilots were on board
The pilots were travelling as deadheading crew, meaning they were on the flight because they were scheduled to operate the aircraft on its return journey from Tel Aviv to Dubai.
Passenger Daniel Schlichter, who was sitting in the second row, told The Associated Press that the presence of the two extra pilots was a matter of chance.
He said they would normally not be on every flight, but in this case they had to travel to Tel Aviv because they were expected to fly the aircraft back to Dubai.
The two men became involved when passengers realised something was seriously wrong inside the cockpit. The co-pilot had attacked the captain repeatedly, leaving blood inside the cockpit. Despite his injuries, the captain managed to open the cockpit door.
One pilot rushed into the cockpit
Passengers then pulled the co-pilot out of the cockpit, and several people worked together to restrain him.
Schlichter said one of the travelling pilots immediately moved through the group of passengers and entered the cockpit. He reached the controls and began taking charge of the aircraft.
The second pilot soon joined him. The two then shut the cockpit door so that no one else could enter.
Schlichter said the first pilot reacted extremely quickly and appeared to understand what needed to be done. He described the man as a hero and said passengers owed him their lives.
The plane took several minutes to stabilise
The aircraft had gone into an extremely steep descent, and part of its rudder was torn away during the incident. Once inside the cockpit, the two pilots worked to regain control of the plane.
Schlichter said it took around 10 minutes or more to fully stabilise the aircraft. During that time, a mayday call was made as the pilots looked for a suitable place to land.
The situation remained tense among passengers. Since they did not know who the two pilots were, some people became concerned about whether they could trust them.
Passengers feared another threat
Schlichter said there was no immediate communication between the pilots and passengers after the aircraft was brought under control. This made him worried that something else could go wrong.
He even feared that the men might take control of the aircraft and fly it towards Iran or another location, as the plane was not far from the region.
Those fears eased about 45 minutes later, when the pilots announced that the aircraft would land in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The announcement reassured Schlichter, who said he then decided to trust the pilots. The plane eventually landed safely, turning the two unidentified crew members into key figures in the dramatic effort to bring the flight under control.
