According to statements given to the Jerusalem Post, passengers initially feared a catastrophic mechanical failure when the Boeing aircraft plummeted 16,600 feet in just two minutes from a cruising altitude of 34,000 feet. Front-row passengers restrained the attacking pilot and removed him from the cockpit, while two off-duty pilots seated toward the rear of the cabin rushed forward at the urging of passengers to assume control of the controls. Simultaneously, a dentist traveling on the flight provided emergency life-saving medical care to the injured pilot, whose shirt was soaked in blood. The off-duty aviators safely navigated the aircraft to an emergency landing at Tabuk International Airport in Saudi Arabia after a Squawk 7700 hijack/distress signal was transmitted to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. Authorities in Saudi Arabia confirmed the aircraft landed without damage and all 180 passengers remain safe under security supervision.