By ETIM ETIM
Heroism could fire up courage in many people and a strong determination to live overcomes all obstacles in the face of danger. Israel is a very tiny country that shares land borders with four sovereign Muslim countries (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt), and the Palestine territories (the West Bank and Gaza Strip). Most of these people do not want the only Jewish State in the world to survive. Over the years, Israel has developed a keen sense of alertness, deep security consciousness and capacity to defend itself; and because every citizen lives in constant fear and dread, they go about with the level of courage uncommon in many other people. This unusual bravery played out on Flight FZ1073 operated by FlyDubai Airline that was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv in the early morning of Wednesday September 30. Two hours into the three-hour-thirty minutes- trip, the first officer, from Oman (his name is yet to be released), brought out an axe with which he delivered several blows to his Indian captain, Smit Machchhar. After incapacitating the pilot, the co-pilot then attempted to crash the airliner. The plane plunged down, losing 17,000 feet in less than two minutes. The G-force was so huge that the aircraft nearly broke into pieces midair. Passengers had unbuckled their seat belts were thrown down from their seats or wherever they were and many were injured.
Inside the flight deck, a miracle was playing out. The injured captain fought off his attacker bravely and managed to unlock the cockpit door. The screams and commotion inside the cockpit attracted passengers, especially those who were seated in the front row. Some rushed into the cockpit; one restrained the attacker-copilot while another took control of the plunging aircraft, pulled the controls and levelled off the machine. He says he got the idea from watching the popular series, Air Crash Investigations. It is one of my favourite TV shows. Fortunately, there were two off-duty pilots on board and they were the ones that took control and diverted the plane to Tabuk Airport, in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Just for context, Fly Dubai airline is wholly owned by the government of Dubai which also owns the popular Emirates Airlines. They two airlines are two separate corporate entities with their own independent management structures and fleets.
Clearly, this was a terrorist attack, unfolding 34,000 feet above the ground and perpetrated by a licensed pilot from Oman. Let me make a confession at this point. I always develop goose pimples whenever I hear a Muslim name announced as the pilot in the flight deck. This Omani co-pilot has only worked for eight months in Fly Dubai airline. As I write, aviation authorities and investigators have asked people not to speculate on anything, especially motive and intentions. But my thinking is that he wanted to crash the plane and murder the Jews – who were the majority of the passengers – to avenge for what Israel is doing in Gaza and the West Bank. I should note that Oman does not have official diplomatic relations with Israel and does not formally recognize it as a state. Unlike its neighbours – the UAE and Bahrain – Oman did not join the Abraham Accords. The Omani government has explicitly stated that it will not recognize the state of Israel until a sovereign and independent Palestinian state is established based in the 1967 borders. Meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that this was act act of terrorism and that the First Officer has been sufficiently ‘’radicalized’’.
It would be the fourth time in recent history that a pilot would crash or attempt to crash his flight. On October 31, 1999, Egypt Air Flight 990 flying from Los Angeles to Cairo crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. US investigators blamed the co-pilot, Gameel al-Batouti for the crash. Voice recorders captured him repeating the phrase ‘’I rely on God’’ in Arabic during the plunge. But Egyptian authorities rejected the verdict and blamed mechanical failure. The second time was on March 24, 2015 when the 27-year-old co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525, Andreas Lubitz, crashed the plane into the French Alps, killing all 150 on board. The flight’s captain had left the cockpit to use the bathroom. Once alone, the co-pilot locked the pilot out and descended the plane from 38,000 feet into the mountains. They were travelling from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldolf, Germany. Germanwings is owned by Lufthansa. The third incident happened on October 22, 2023, and it involved an off-duty pilot riding a third pilot in the cockpit jump seat aboard Horizon Air Flight2059 (a regional subsidiary of Alaska Airlines). The flight was travelling from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco. The aircraft carried 80 people, including the captain, first officer and the off-duty pilot Joseph Emerson. Midflight, Emerson shouted ‘’I’m not okay’’, and attempted to shut off fuel supply to both engines. The pilots fought him off and safely landed the plane. It’s amazing that all the four airlines involved in these incidents are subsidiaries of major airlines.
But I want to stress the importance of courage and heroism in the face of danger as an important factor that saved the Fly Dubai Flight. First, the Indian captain had the presence of mind and courage, despite his severe injuries, to fight off his co-pilot and open the cockpit door. Opening the door allowed other passengers to rush into the cockpit and rescued the plane from danger. Second, despite the G-force and the serve turbulence the plane experienced due to deep plunge, some passengers were able to rush into the cockpit to help. To show courage in the face of danger and fight back heroically to protect oneself or others entails physical bravery, moral resilience and ability in oneself. I admire Captain Smit for fighting inside the cockpit to protect himself from his First Officer despite the immediate bodily peril he was in. This is the stuff of first responders and even bystanders who intervene to stop an assault, or individual defending their homes and families. I have never experienced a serious emergency situation or danger before (and I pray not to), I do not know how I will react if I am in such a situation.
Displaying heroism and bravery in the face of great danger is one skill I crave for. I have always imagined how I would respond to such crisis scenarios. According to experts, it is important to mentally practice or to simulate such scenarios mentally. It helps to reduce response time and cognitive overload when real emergency occurs. For example, have you rehearsed what you would do if fire engulfs your home at night and the whole place is plunged into darkness? How do you grope your way out and how do you help your family to escape? How do you rescue a passenger in a burning car? How do you assist a choking child? We do not pray for these dangers, but we should be prepared for anything.
ETIM ETIM is a veteran journalist and PR professional with over 35 years of cognate experience.
He is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Policy & Politics (www.policyandpolitics.com.ng), an online newspaper dedicated to insightful analysis of Nigerian news and world’s report. He is also a columnist with BusinessDay and The Cable and is a regular contributor to other newspapers.
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