Video Shows Panic Aboard A Flydubai Flight As Passengers Help The Injured Pilot

Eyewitness video obtained by Reuters shows the moment passengers realised there was a commotion aboard their flydubai flight, with some heard screaming and whimpering while others helped the bloodied pilot, who survived the attack. The co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, which was bound for Israel on Wednesday (September 30), attempted to carry out a "terrorist attack" with a crash axe during the flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday (October 3). Disaster was averted after passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot, who had attacked the pilot in what Israeli officials said was an apparent attempt to crash the plane carrying more than 170 passengers and crew. The plane’s pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, was bloodied on the plane floor after the attack, but conscious and speaking while people were responding to his injuries and giving him water. Reuters verified the visuals from the seats, headrests and plane interior that matched flydubai archive imagery and verified corroborating visuals. Three of the men in the video are also seen in other verified corroborating visuals. The injured man’s facial features match with pilot Smit Machchhar’s images later released by authorities. The background sound in the video indicates the aircraft is in flight. The date when the videos were filmed verified from statements released by Israeli officials saying that a flight bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals on September 30. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 confirmed that this was the flydubai flight FZ107. No older versions of the videos were found posted online before September 30. The investigation into flight FZ1073, including the suspect's motives, is ongoing, and the findings will be released once the "necessary procedures" have been completed, the prosecutor general said. The UAE is leading the investigation. The airline is owned by Dubai's government.