Who are the mystery pilots who stepped in to save a flydubai flight from disaster?

Jerusalem: The identities of two pilots who stepped in to help stabilise a flydubai flight after a violent incident in the cockpit remain unknown, three days after they helped prevent the Israel-bound aircraft carrying 182 people from plunging further.

The men, who were travelling as off-duty crew members, rushed into the cockpit after passengers reported that the co-pilot had attacked the captain repeatedly, leaving blood throughout the cockpit.

flydubai has described the two men only as on-duty crew members travelling on the flight. The airline has not publicly identified them or explained why their identities have not been disclosed.

Passenger Daniel Schlichter, who was seated in the second row, gave the Associated Press an account of how the two men intervened.

Schlichter said the presence of the additional pilots was a coincidence. They were travelling on the aircraft because they were scheduled to operate its return flight from Tel Aviv to Dubai — a practice known in aviation as “deadheading”.

According to Schlichter, passengers realised something was seriously wrong after seeing the situation in the cockpit. The captain, despite being badly injured, managed to unlock the cockpit door after the co-pilot allegedly attacked him.

A passenger then grabbed the co-pilot and pulled him out of the cockpit, while others restrained him.

At that point, one of the travelling pilots moved through the group and took control of the aircraft.

“He was actually kind of jumping above the guys that were handling the terrorist, and he reached out to the pilot area and started to take over,” Schlichter told AP.

The second pilot then joined him in the cockpit, and they closed the door.

Schlichter said the first pilot appeared to immediately understand what was happening and acted quickly to stabilise the aircraft.

“He acted really like a hero, taking over the plane,” Schlichter said, adding that he believed the passengers owed their lives to the two men.

The aircraft had undergone an extreme descent, during which part of its rudder was reportedly torn away. Once inside the cockpit, the two pilots worked for several minutes possibly 10 or more, according to Schlichter to regain control.

A mayday call was issued as the pilots searched for a suitable location to land.

Their silence after taking control initially left some passengers anxious. Schlichter said he feared the men could potentially take the aircraft somewhere else, including Iran, given the plane’s location.

“After they managed to stabilise the aeroplane, actually they did not have any communication with us, and I have to tell you, I was worried about this,” he said.

About 45 minutes later, however, the pilots announced that the aircraft would land in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and reassured passengers that everything would be all right.

Schlichter said he then felt able to trust the pilots, a decision that was ultimately borne out when the aircraft landed safely.

AP