Flydubai passenger describes TERRIFYING moments in thwarted attack

>> Sandra: AS WE CONTINUE TO. REPORT ON THIS DEVELOPING STORY, WE ARE BRINGING NOW BACK OUR. ISRAELI JOURNALIST. SHE'S ON SET WITH US IN. NEW YORK. SHE HELPED PUT US IN TOUCH WITH. A PASSENGER WHO WAS ON BOARD. THAT FLIGHT HEADED FOR ISRAEL. WHEN THE COPILOT ATTEMPTED TO. HIJACK IT. HIS NAME IS ADAM AND HE JOINS US. NOW SAFELY AT HOME IN TEL AVIV. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING. US. THANK YOU FOR CONNECTING US WITH.

ADAM. ADAM, WE ARE GLAD YOU'RE HOME. SAFELY. PLEASE DO TELL US WHAT DID YOU. SEE ON THAT PLANE? >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. WE STARTED COMING IT WAS LIKE. TWO AND A HALF HOURS OR TWO. HOURS INTO THE FLIGHT. WE WERE ONE HOUR BEFORE WE WERE. SUPPOSED TO LAND IN TEL AVIV. SUDDENLY THERE WAS A BIG DROP. IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF SECONDS.

OR THE FIRST SECOND, IT FELT. LIKE A NORMAL AIR POCKET THAT. YOU SOMETIMES HAVE IN FLIGHTS. BUT THEN IT BECAME DRASTIC. YOU REALLY FELT LIKE THE G. FORCE. LIKE AN EXTREME ROLLER COASTER. IN AN AMUSEMENT PARK. THIS IS THE BEST EXAMPLE. AND ALL OF THE ELECTRICITY IN. THE AIRPLANE WAS SHUT OFF. IMMEDIATELY THE AIR CONDITIONING. AND MULTIMEDIA JUST GOT SHUT.

OFF. AFTER A COUPLE OF SECONDS PEOPLE. STARTED TO SHOUT. PEOPLE THAT WERE SITTING IN THE. FIRST COUPLE OF ROWS AND IN THE. BUSINESS CLASS CLOSE TO THE. PILOT ROOM SHOUTING THERE WAS A. STABBING AND THERE WAS BLOOD. EVERYWHERE. AND THEN THEY ASKED EVERYONE. THAT CAN HELP, PLEASE JOIN. IMMEDIATELY.

AND THEN WE ARE REALLY, REALLY. LUCKY LIKE TEN GUYS JUST JUMPED. TO HELP. THREE OR FOUR OF THEM ACTUALLY. ENTERED INTO THE PILOT ROOM. AND SUCCEED AFTER A COUPLE OF. MINUTES, SUCCEED TO CONTROL THE. SITUATION. >> YOU WERE SITTING THERE WITH. YOUR CHILDREN, RIGHT? >> WITH MY CHILDREN. >> IT'S TERRIFYING.

YOU WERE SITTING THERE. TWO ROWS AHEAD OF YOU THERE'S A. ISRAELI, HE HAS TOLD HIS STORY. YOU SAW HIM RUSHING WHILE YOU'RE. TRYING TO GUARD THE CHILDREN, RIGHT? THERE'S A DEEP DIVE OVER THE. PLANE. YOU WERE ALL TRYING TO DO YOUR. BEST TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE. >> EXACTLY. I THINK THAT MAYBE THE MOST. IMPORTANT THING THAT YOU CAN DO. AS A PARENT, BECAUSE YOU DON'T. REALLY HAVE CONTROL OF THE.

SITUATION, IS TRY TO BE COOL AND. TRY TO BE IN THE ZONE. BECAUSE YOUR CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE LITTLE. KIDS, THEY LOOK AFTER YOU. IF YOU PANIC, THEN EVENTUALLY. THEY WILL PANIC MUCH MORE THAN. THEY SHOULD. THE SITUATION OBJECTIVELY IS. TERRIFYING. >> John: THE AMOUNT OF MENTAL. FORTITUDE THAT YOU HAD TO HAVE. TO DO THAT MUST BE. EXTRAORDINARY. I'M WONDERING IN THAT MOMENT, WHEN YOU ARE FLYING ALONG, EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE.

AND SUDDENLY THE PLANE GOES INTO. A STEEP DIVE AND PEOPLE START. SCREAMING, WHAT GOES THROUGH. YOUR MIND IN THAT MOMENT? >> IT'S LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO. THINK LIKE BE COOL, BE COOL. YOUR KIDS ARE LOOKING AT YOU. YOU ARE CROSSING YOUR FINGERS. THAT EVERYTHING TURNS OUT RIGHT. AND YOU HAVE A LITTLE PRAYER IN. YOUR HEART. THIS IS BASICALLY WHAT YOU CAN. DO IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO. PHYSICALLY GO OUT TO THE PILOT.

ROOM, TO THE COCKPIT. >> John: SEEMS TO ME SOMETHING. LIKE THAT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY. TERRIFYING. >> WELL, IT IS. IT IS. >> YOU ALSO DIDN'T HAVE WI-FI. DURING THE FLIGHT. YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY ABILITY TO. CONTACT YOUR FAMILY BACK HOME IN. ISRAEL OR ANYONE FROM THE. SECURITY OFFICIALS THAT YOU. WOULD NORMALLY TRY TO GET. ASSISTANCE TO ASK FOR. ASSISTANCE. YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY WAY TO.

CONTACT ANYONE. >> THAT'S CORRECT. I TRIED TO ANALYZE THE SITUATION. AND I THOUGHT THE PLANE SHOULD. BE IN TOUCH WITH ISRAELI FLIGHT. AUTHORITIES BECAUSE THE PLANE. SHOULD LAND AT. BEN-GURION AIRPORT IN AN HOUR OR. SO. THERE PROBABLY IS A SIGNAL OR AN. ALARM. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THE. AUTHORITIES WILL BE AWARE OF THE.

SITUATION WHICH EVENTUALLY I. FOUND THAT THEY WERE. >> DID YOU UNDERSTAND AT THIS. VERY MOMENT THIS MIGHT BE A. TERROR ATTACK? >> Sandra: I WANT TO GET IN. SOME BREAKING DETAILS FROM. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. NETANYAHU IS SAYING AS YOU JUST. TOLD US A BRIEF TIME AGO, HE'S. PLANNING TO SPEAK WITH. PRESIDENT TRUMP DIRECTLY HERE. SHORTLY. NETANYAHU SAYS THE INDIAN. PILOT'S ACTIONS SAVED 174 LIVES. INCLUDING ISRAELIS AS WELL AS. OTHER NATIONALS. NETANYAHU ALSO SAID THE PILOT.

ATTACKED ON FLYDUBAI FLIGHT WAS. INDIAN. RELEASED HIS NAME, SMIT. MACHCHHAR. AS WE CONTINUE TO LEARN MORE. DETAILS. ADAM, I JUST WONDER IF YOU COULD. SHARE WITH US ANY OTHER ACCOUNTS. SPECIFICALLY THAT YOU HEARD. OBVIOUSLY EVERYBODY'S ASKING WHY. AND WHAT THE INTENTION WAS, WHETHER OR NOT THIS PERSON. PLANNED TO USE THIS PLANE AS A. AN OVERALL WEAPON OR WAS THIS TO. TAKE DOWN AND KILL THOSE 174. LIVES THAT WERE ON BOARD?

CAN YOU ADD ANYTHING ELSE THAT. YOU'VE HEARD, ANY DETAILS THAT. WOULD GIVE US ANY IDEA WHAT THE. PLAN WAS FOR THIS SUSPECTED. HIJACKER? >> UNFORTUNATELY I CAN'T. ELABORATE A LOT ON THIS TOPIC. I'VE HEARD BUT ONLY AS HEARSAY. THAT PEOPLE HEARD THE STABBER, THE TERRORIST SHOUT ALLAHU.

AKBAR. BUT I DIDN'T HEAR IT BY MYSELF. >> YOU WERE NOT CLOSE TO THE. COCKPIT. >> EXACTLY. I WASN'T CLOSE ENOUGH. AND FOR US, EVERYTHING ELSE IS. JUST AN ASSUMPTION. >> YOU HEARD IT FROM OTHER. PASSENGERS? I THINK THAT'S -- I. HAVEN'T. HEARD IT YET. THAT'S VERY INTERESTING. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO DIVE. INTO THAT AS WELL. IF YOU HEARD IT FROM OTHER. PASSENGERS AND YOU SPOKE TO ALL. OF THEM. IT'S IMPORTANT NEW INFORMATION.

>> John: THE VIOLENT FORCE OF. THE DIVE RIPPED THE RUDDER OFF. THE PLANE. I'M SURE IT DID OTHER DAMAGE. THE PLANE EXCEEDED ITS RATED. AIRSPEED BY 100 KNOTS. IT'S REMARKABLE. THE FEAT OF PILOTING TO GET THAT. PLANE ON THE GROUND. THEN WE SAW THESE FABULOUS. PICTURES FROM BEN-GURION AIRPORT. AS PEOPLE WERE ON THAT PLANE. I BELIEVE INCLUDING YOURSELF AND. YOUR TWO CHILDREN. FINALLY ARRIVED BACK AT THE DASH. IN ISRAEL. WHAT WAS THAT MOMENT LIKE WHEN. YOU SAID "I'M BACK HOME"?

>> ALWAYS WHEN YOU'RE FINISHING. A VACATION, THERE'S SOMETHING A. BIT COMMISSARY COM A BIT SAD. QUOTE, UNQUOTE, A RETURNING. HOME. BECAUSE YOU HAD SUCH AN AMAZING. TIME ON YOUR VACATION. AND I THINK IT'S MAYBE THE FIRST. TIME THAT I WAS EXCITED TO BE. HOME. I WAS REALLY FULL WITH EMOTION. THE WONDERFUL WELCOME THAT. EVERYBODY DID FOR US.

THE FLAGS OUTSIDE. IT REALLY WARMS THE HEART. >> Sandra: HOW ARE THE KIDS. DOING? THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT. THEY HAVE --. >> THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT. THEY WERE AMAZING. THEY WERE COOL. WHEN WE WERE IN SAUDI ARABIA, THEY HAD A GREAT TIME. THEY CAN WATCH TV. I THINK THAT THEY ENJOY THIS. PART OF THE DAY.

SO YOU KNOW, FOR EVERYTHING THAT. WE CAN SEE ON THE SURFACE LEVEL, THEY'RE AMAZING. BUT WE WILL NEED A BIT MORE TIME. TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY HOW MUCH. IT INFLUENCES THEM. >> WHILE YOU WERE THERE ON THE. PLANE, DID YOU UNDERSTAND THAT. THIS MAY BE A TERROR ATTACK? OR YOU WERE JUST TRYING --. >> YES. NO, NO. WHY WOULD IT HAPPEN IF IT'S NOT. A TERRORIST ATTACK? >> AS AN ISRAELI YOU PROBABLY.

HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT TERROR. ATTACKS. I'VE BEEN COVERING IT. YOU'VE BEEN LIVING IT FOR SO. LONG. AND ARE YOU -- IS IT A REAL. UNDERSTANDING THAT YOUR LIFE. MIGHT BE ENDING RIGHT NOW? >> YES. BE SHORT AND VERY PAINFUL ANSWER. IS YES. >> John: WE HAVE HEARD REPORTS. THAT IT WAS THE PILOT GRIEVOUSLY. INJURED AS HE WAS WHO SOMEHOW.

MANAGED TO UNLOCK THE COCKPIT. DOOR AND THAT IF HE HADN'T DONE. THAT IN THAT MOMENT, THAT THE. OUTCOME OF THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN. VERY, VERY DIFFERENT. IF YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY. SOMETHING TO THIS HEROIC PILOT. WHO I BELIEVE PROBABLY WOULD BE. IN LINE FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL. MEDAL OF HONOR THERE IN ISRAEL, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO HIM? >> I WOULD SAY TO HIM THANK YOU. AND I WILL BE ALWAYS GRATEFUL. FOR THIS ACT OF BRAVERY. FOR THE PILOT AND FOR ALL THE.

HEROES THAT JUMPED INTO THE. COCKPIT AND FOUGHT WITH BARE. HANDS WITH THE ATTACKER. >> Sandra: WE PRAY FOR THEIR. RECOVERY. >> ANGELS UPON EARTH. >> Sandra: AMEN. ADAM, WE ARE GLAD YOU ARE OKAY. AND YOUR CHILDREN ARE OKAY AND. YOU ARE SAFELY BACK HOME. >> John: GOD WAS LOOKING OUT. FOR YO.