Plane landing was “nothing short of a miracle,” CNN analyst says

The emergency landing of a Flydubai flight was “nothing short of a miracle,” CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas said, describing a series of actions by the crew and passengers that helped avert disaster.

“They had to get everything right to basically make sure everybody survived,” Plitsas told CNN. “And somehow they figured it out as laypersons with no real training.”

According to the analyst, several things stood out.

First was the Indian pilot’s ability to signal an emergency and unlock the cockpit door while being attacked, allowing passengers to enter as the aircraft descended. “The captain somehow had the wherewithal to turn on the transponder and transmit that there was an emergency,” he said.

Second were unarmed passengers who subdued the armed attacker before one pulled back on the yoke to level the aircraft, drawing on knowledge from an air-disaster documentary. Also, Plitsas said, the presence of an additional pilot who happened to be aboard.

“The amount of sheer luck and tenacity and courage from the folks on board is almost impossible to describe,” the analyst told CNN.

According to Plitsas, the episode raises questions about threats originating from within the cockpit. Many post-9/11 security measures focused on preventing outsiders from accessing the cockpit, he noted. A review of personnel records would likely follow, he said, adding that such threats can be difficult to detect.