Former fighter pilot analyzes: The 3 miracles that saved the flight from Dubai

Lt. Col. (res.) Oded Shapira, a former fighter pilot, analyzes in an interview with Dana Varon the dramatic chain of events on the "Fly Dubai" flight and points to three critical moments that separated life from death: the captain's opening of the cockpit door, passenger Yaniv Hayon pulling the controls, and the presence of additional pilots who landed the plane.

Lt. Col. (res.) Oded Shapira, a former fighter pilot, was interviewed today (Thursday) by Dana Varon on Channel 14 and analyzed the dramatic chain of events on the "Fly Dubai" flight from Dubai. According to him, the plane was in a critical state at an altitude of 34,000 feet with a descent rate of 15,000 feet per minute, leaving it about two and a half minutes until impact. Shapira pointed to three "miracles" that saved the flight: the first – the captain, Captain Smith, who managed to open the cockpit door, without which "almost nothing could have been done." The second – Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayon, who rescued the pilot and removed the terrorist, entered the cockpit and pulled the controls, despite the fact that at high speed the controls are ineffective and the plane's tail was damaged. The third – the presence of additional pilots on the plane who could land it, as even experienced pilots need time to familiarize themselves with a new aircraft. Shapira concluded that the unthinkable chain of events separated life from death.