"No pilots, no engines": The unusual drama on a flight to Israel

A passenger on an Arkia flight from Tbilisi tried to break into the cockpit while shouting "No pilots, no engines." Passengers and crew subdued him. Arkia stated it was a psychotic episode and that flight safety was not compromised.

A passenger on Arkia flight IZ418, which departed from Tbilisi to Ben Gurion Airport, attempted to break into the cockpit while shouting "No pilots, no engines" and "We need to save the plane." The incident occurred about an hour after takeoff, when the passenger, in his twenties and accompanied by his parents, ran to the front of the plane and began pounding on the reinforced door. Flight attendants and family members tried to restrain him without success, until Maxim Bebitsky, a former deputy mayor of Rishon LeZion, managed to drag him to the rear seats. The captain reported the incident to air traffic control, and upon landing, the passenger was questioned by Ben Gurion Airport police. An Arkia official said it was a psychotic episode. The company emphasized that flight safety was not compromised. The article notes that it is unclear whether Shin Bet security agents were on the flight, and according to passenger testimonies, they did not intervene.