THE hero Israeli plumber who took control of the plunging Flydubai plane has revealed he learned to fly from a TV show.
Yaniv Hayoun was among the passengers who helped thwart “Israel’s 9/11” after they overpowered the knifeman who allegedly stabbed the pilot and planned to crash the flight.
Incredibly, Yaniv has revealed he knew what to do with the controls after watching Air Crash Investigation – a TV show on major aviation disasters.
He revealed what went on inside the plane to Israel’s PM after safely landing in the country on Wednesday.
Yaniv told Benjamin Netanyahu: “We pinned him down to keep him secure and then I jumped into it (the cockpit) and pulled the controls.”
Incredulously, Netanyahu asked how he knew to pull in a backwards motion, to which he stated: “I watch Air Crash Investigations Mr Prime Minister.”
Prior to their sit-down conversation, Yaniv received a hero’s greeting at Tel Aviv airport from the Israeli president who hugged him tightly as blood remained splattered on his clothing.
Yaniv told how he helped subdue the alleged knife-wielding co-pilot, after barging into the flight deck.
He said: “I pushed the door; the pilot who was stabbed was simply very close to the door so it was hard for us to open.
“We pulled him out – it was a matter of seconds.”
He then called his friends for help, putting the assailant in a chokehold before dragging him out from the cockpit and grabbing the controls in an incredible show of bravery.
When the plane began to level as he gripped the controls, an off-duty pilot told Yaniv that he would take it from there.
Prime Minister Netanyahu praised the hero for his “tremendous resourcefulness”.
Speaking from the White House on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump praised Yaniv’s “amazing” actions, revealing him to be a plumber.
The incident caused the aircraft to plummet 17,400 feet in less than two minutes, flight tracking data shows, with passengers believing they were going to die.
Graphic video taken onboard the plane showed a gruesome scene as passengers and crew aided the wounded pilot.
The captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, suffered serious injuries in the incident which has now been dubbed by officials as “Israel’s 9/11”.
Machchhar has about 15 years of experience flying for commercial airlines and had logged almost 10,000 hours on Boeing 737s, according to his social media.
He bravely fought to defend the plane – and the 174 passengers on board – while being attacked with a blade.
Despite his wounds, the veteran pilot managed to unlock the door of the cockpit and alert the crew of the ruthless attack.
This bought just enough time for Yaniv and other passengers to burst through and subdue his co-pilot.
The two off-duty pilots were onboard the aircraft as a potential regional rerouting meant the flight may have required a longer path, The Jerusalem Post reports.
This would push the original crew past their legal duty hours, making extra staff necessary.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17081376/passenger-plunging-jet-learned-fly-tv/
