According to data from the Flightradar website, the aircraft suddenly dropped from nearly 34,000 feet at 0521 GMT to less than 17,000 feet a minute later.
But there was no “hysteria” among passengers, Italie noted, even as fighting erupted near the cockpit for control over the aircraft.
“The other passengers from the front took over control,” he told AFP via video call from Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk, where the plane landed safely following what passengers described as a violent attempt by one pilot to kill the other.
Still, Italie said, “people kept calm”.
In photos sent to AFP by one of the passengers, travellers — including children — are seen gathered in an airport lounge, with some sitting on the floor. One man is wearing a white T-shirt and jeans stained with blood.
Miryam Shira Ohayon, who was also on board the flight, described the aircraft as being “pretty much out of control” as the fight ensued.
“The co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane,” she told reporters by speaker phone held up by her mother, who was waiting at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.
“It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralised him,” she said.
“There was also a doctor who gave first aid, and people who treated both of them. Other than the pilot, there were no injuries, but the bigger fear was really a crash, which is exactly what he was trying to do.”
In a video from inside the plane that was reposted by Israeli social media users, one passenger — blood dripping from an open wound on his head — pleaded for assistance and said they were descending into Saudi Arabia, where Israel has no diplomatic relations.
“We are here during an attack on the plane. We just subdued the terrorists and are preparing to land,” the man said in Hebrew.
“Anyone who can hear me, we need help. We are about to land in Tabuk, apparently in Saudi Arabia. An unknown area. All the passengers are safe and well, except for the pilot,” the man added. – AFP
