Flydubai Passenger Recounts Miraculous Survival and Divine Signs

Asaf Radwan, one of the passengers who helped thwart an attempted hijacking on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30th, has shared his personal account of the harrowing experience. In a reflective social media post, Radwan described the moment he realized the gravity of the situation when the plane lost control and began a steep dive, with blood visible from the open cockpit door.

Radwan recounted how he and other passengers, including Yaniv Hayun, entered the cockpit and worked to subdue the attacker. He emphasized the collective effort and quick thinking of the passengers and crew, noting that the pilots managed to regain control of the aircraft and land it safely in Israel. Radwan stated that the incident was driven by instinct for survival and the desire to protect families and children.

Following the event, Radwan, who identifies as not being particularly religious but believes in God, felt compelled to attend synagogue for the traditional blessing of thanksgiving, "Birkat HaGomel." While reading from the Torah, he was profoundly struck by a verse from Deuteronomy 33:26, which speaks of God as the rider of the heavens. Radwan described the experience as chilling and deeply meaningful, seeing it as a sign of divine intervention and a testament to the resilience of the Jewish people, stating, "The people of Israel live."

He further elaborated on the roles various passengers played during the crisis, including providing a mobile hotspot for communication with Israeli security forces, praying, using headphone cords to restrain the hijacker, and monitoring the plane's location via GPS. Radwan highlighted the bravery of an Australian passenger who was able to make calls to Israel from Saudi Arabia, an enemy state at the time.