New Delhi: Both pilots aboard the Dubai-Tel Aviv Flydubai flight were rendered incapacitated after a co-pilot stabbed the captain in an alleged attempt to crash the plane.
While the captain, identified as Smit Machchhar, was physically unable to fly the plane due to the stabbing injuries, passengers and crew members overtook the attacker, separating him from Machchhar.
The off-duty pilots present in the plane took charge and safely landed the plane in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The incident, where both pilots were rendered unable to fly the plane, draws attention to the rules mandating two pilots to be present at all times in the cockpit in commercial flights.
Why commercial planes mandate two pilots
The aircraft in question, the Boeing 737, is a certified two-pilot aircraft.
The aviation body, GCAA, governing the rules for UAE-based airline companies such as Flydubai, mandates a minimum of two qualified pilots– a captain and a first officer– on the flight deck for all commercial flights. Federal Aviation Administration has the same requirement.
In the normal course of flying, one of the pilots, irrespective of whether they are the captain or the first officer, acts as the “flying pilot” in charge of flying the aircraft.
The flying pilot handles the controls, programmes the autopilot, and steers the aeroplane along the route.
The other pilot, acting as the “pilot monitoring”, supports by communicating with air traffic control, monitoring the engines and other parameters, and cross-checking all the actions of the flying pilot.
This is necessary in case of emergencies when a serious failure requires simultaneous tasks, such as flying the aircraft, diagnosing the problem, and communicating with air traffic controllers.
While the captain holds the senior position and is responsible for flight safety, both pilots are qualified to handle emergencies.
Also Read: Flydubai’s Boeing 737 plunged 14,000 ft. What kept it from crashing?
Rare emergencies with Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 has faced rare emergencies in the past, where a single pilot had to take control of the flight.
In 2002, for example, a Boeing B737-800 aircraft, flying from Belgium to the UK, requested a return to the departure airfield in Charleroi, Belgium. The captain had leaned to one side and stopped responding soon after takeoff, prompting the first officer to declare an emergency. The airplane made a successful landing in Charleroi.
Similarly, in 2018, a Boeing 737-376 Special Freighter, operated by Express Freighters Australia, experienced depressurisation due to an aircraft malfunction.
The captain was temporarily incapacitated during the initial part of the flight, after donning an oxygen mask, prompting the first officer to declare a Mayday. He diverted the plane, originally flying between Brisbane and Melbourne, to land at Canberra Airport.
Later, during the diversion, the first officer also experienced incapacitating symptoms, in which case the captain took control. The flight landed safely, with no further issues.
Two additional pilots on the flydubai plane
At Flydubai, two off-duty pilots were instrumental in landing the plane safely.
The two relief pilots had been placed in the plane in case possible rerouting pushed the crew beyond permitted duty hours. In such a case, the crew would be unable to operate the return flight within its permitted hours, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Their presence in the plane was unrelated to any advanced safety warning.
“The relief pilots are European, one of them British, who entered [the cockpit] and pulled the aircraft up, pulled the yoke, stabilised the plane and landed us in Saudi Arabia,” a passenger said.
Edited by Maryam Hassan
I just imagined what if they had no off duty pilots ? Also how do we know if a pilot wants to do a “9/11” ? People are insane and anyone can do anything. I think a lot of things went right in this case for this not to end up in a tragedy. Good on the captain tho for doing the act of heroism while he was stabbed (I am biased)