After attacking the captain of the flydubai plane mid-air in the cockpit on Wednesday, the Omani co-pilot allegedly tried to jam the aircraft controls and knocked off the autopilot system. This led the aircraft to plummet over 17,000 feet from a cruising altitude of 34,000 feet in 40 seconds. In another 40 seconds, airport would have crashed, said an expert.
Flight data showed the sudden dive put extreme G-force and airframe stress on the flydubai plane, FZ1073. Most of the plane's rudder was ripped off, making the safe landing of the aircraft a miracle, according to aviation experts.
Alon Pereg, an Israeli Air Force veteran, told Israel's Channel 12 TV station that it was a very close call. "A hair-raising incident from every perspective," he said, "If the plane lost half its altitude in 40 seconds, another 40 seconds would have seen it crash."
"If the captain hadn’t been able to open the door and if there weren’t other pilots there to help – it could have ended differently. All the stars aligned here, and overall it ended well," he said, referring to the additional pilots who helped stabilise the aircraft.
Former United Airlines pilot Steve Arroyo told AP that he was surprised how the aircraft landed safely. "That was a serious descent and strong aerodynamic forces on that rudder for that to happen. I’m just amazed the aircraft didn’t come apart," he told the news agency.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator with the US National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, said if the plane plunged below 10,000 feet, there was little chance of recovering. "It is remarkable they were able to pull out of that dive. What saved them is there was enough altitude left for them to recover," Guzzetti told AP.
US author and active-duty miltary pilot Buzz Patterson took to X, saying, "This airframe exceed the max operating speed by 100 knots. That’s a lot. It ripped off the rudder. To recover, stabilise the jet, and divert is simply a miracle. Thank the Lord, for the deadhead crew being on board. This would’ve ended in a much, much different outcome."
