Mark behbehani

Engineer, Scientist, Jack of all trades. I had been planning to start a blog at some point and had collected my thoughts. Posting them on X now instead.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

https://t.co/XmnHicQbqS

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@LeF89880348 When I wrote this, the only thing official was "co-pilot attacked pilot" the media buried its head in the sand despite overwhelming evidence of terror attack. Dissing the hero pilot was the last straw that prompted me to write this

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

The official verdict is absolute Crap!

I'm a Commercial pilot (Complex piston singles) and I have followed this story from the beginning. The official story is pathetic. This will go down in history as one best examples of aviation bravery.

For this story to have the happy ending that it did, 3 things had to happen perfectly:

First, Cpt. Smit who while on the floor (being attacked with an axe!!!) thought "these are my last moments, but I cant let these people die" and somehow opened the cockpit door. Without his bravery and determination, Everybody dies no question.

Second the passengers Yaniv and Yitzhack rushed the cockpit the minute they heard screams. Dont minimize this. Most people in a situation like this would freeze in their seats. Not to mention getting the the front of the plane in a zero G nose over. I'm assuming IDF training (mandatory for all Israelis) but even then excellent reactions under pressure. By rushing to the front immediately, they were on the other side of the door the second that Cpt Smit opened it. The IDF training also probably had a hand in their ability to rapidly neutralize the co-pilot.

Yaniv taking the stick and pulling out of the dive is critical simply because there was no time otherwise. At the rate of decent by that point there is maybe 30s to impact if they keep diving (and they were already past Vne)

However, contrary to popular male ego, a non pilot successfully recovering the plane has odds near zero. Commercial aircraft are huge and have massive momentum. Even in a small plane, if you are too heavy on the controls nothing happens for ten seconds, then next thing you know you are upside down. The most likely outcome after a non-pilot pulling out of a dive would be overcontrolling and triggering a stall. Fortunately (according to Yaniv's interview) the relief pilot took over just as he leveled the plane.

The relief pilots being on board was fortunate, the relief pilot managing to take over the controls before Yaniv could trigger a stall was perfect timing. The pilots were not just random pilots or random airline pilots, they were the relief crew which meant they had hundreds if not thousands of hours in that exact model. Why is this important? Because the co-pilot had smashed the instruments (once again from Yaniv's interview) and the rudder was damaged from exceeding Vne. The relief pilots could handle this as a routine emergency, for a pilot unfamiliar with that airplane and instruments smashed it would be a insurmountable challenge.

Finally the Pilot who thought he was going to die was in luck because on board was a dentist. A dental surgeon no less. Not quite the same an ER doc, but enough to stop major arterial bleeding from multiple wounds.

If somebody doesnt make a great movie out of this it would be a crime. This is aviation history being made.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@BIssahary @Arunglobal2 Thanks for the accurate numbers. I knew they had mandatory military service, but not the exact details.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@holaquetalkt When I wrote this the official story was "cockpit altercation " it's heroism on historic level

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@sangharshJaari I didn't have it in my post, but the way they referred to Hanuman as the "monkey god" was totally racist

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

What a horrible piece minimizing the bravery of the Pilot who saved 180 people.

I saw the actual interview of Captain Smit Machchhar last night. Today this Reuters article was on my google feed.

In the actual interview (which was a mix of Hindi and Gujarati), the pilot calmly recounts what happened in the cockpit. After the surprise attack, while the pilot was on the ground (being attacked with an axe!!), he said to himself "The door is right there, I knew that it was last few minutes of my life, but I was not going to let those people die". No Tears, just brave determination. The Reuters Article frames it as "desperate effort to open the cockpit door to seek help"

In the interview there are no tears when describing being attacked with an axe while on the ground, only determination. Smit only gets emotional when he tells Modi that Modi was his Idol and Modi praises him and his parents for raising him with such values. In the Reuters Piece, it makes it sound like he is crying about being attacked.

Imaging being on the ground getting attacked with an axe and the only think that you think about is "Im probably going to die, but I cant let everybody else die" Who would try to take one of the most heroic acts of bravery in aviation history and spin it as emotional desperation?

Disgraceful!

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@freezepeaxh Somebody posted G forces (no source) between 2.5 and 3.3. 2.5G is certification spec and 150% safety margin would be 3.7. I dont think plane would have survived 7G is not a fighter or aerobatic plane.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@FuarFearg Riding in a plane you cant see when the pilot pushed the stick to give you the correction you see. All movements dont have equal lag. Small roll changes are different than a pitch change with airspeed and power changes.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@esjayXX It will be interesting when they sort out everything that happened in the cabin. IDF training goes a long way compared to average civilian who will freeze and panic.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@CharlesLCarter3 At the time I wrote this, the only thing official was from Saudi's and it was "The co-pilot attacked the pilot" Im guessing they just didnt want to deal with it. The turned everybody over to UAE as quickly as they could.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@amancool5 Special forces don't have day jobs as a plumber. I think mandatory IDF training went a long way.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@EntangledFrog after seeing the plane. I would have to add miracle four getting the airplane safely on the ground with half the tail ripped off. Im sure there is more damage you cant see.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@irusman Where are you getting this information from? I have been looking for any statements from the relief pilots about the state of the airplane when they took over.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@txatollman Pilot opening the door is key. Cpt Smit opening the door (while being attacked with an axe!!) will go down in aviation history.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@EvanMaxwelwqiv Its sad. One of the best stories in years and they intentionally refuse to cover it hoping it will go away.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@AllieWag @suomivuori26054 Did you see the interview? Guy saves 180 people and he is totally humble about it. Legend. At least there is some justice in the world outside the media. 3 different countries are planning national honors for him.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@philosophicweb Glad you appreciated it. Im amazed at how bad the coverage has been. It one of the best stories ever. Sometimes Truth is stranger than fiction.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@HelenaCotrim3 You might be too old to remember Flight 232 in Sioux City. The engine exploded and cut all they hydraulic lines, yet somehow, they lazily circled down and lined up with the runway. https://t.co/JNTW2pjtCs

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@Colin_M_KellyPE

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

The pilot was extremely lucky there was a dentist on board (dentist and dental surgeon have both been reported, both are infinitely more capable than the flight attendant with 6h first aid class). He reported arterial bleeding from multiple stab wounds. They had a Trauma team standing by when they landed

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

Someone else posted that the g forces experienced (they didnt have a source) were between 2.5 and 3.6G which is within the 150% certification limit. Looks like the plane didn't overload. Most of the damage was flutter from excessive speed. Props to Boeing no matter how you look at it.

[Mark behbehani @BehbehaniMark]

@PamF194 You would have plenty of company. The Israeli guys all have 2 years of mandatory military training so not a fair comparison.