A Flydubai co-pilot allegedly stabbed the flight’s captain and tried to crash a jet carrying 180 people before passengers and crew wrestled him down and landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Story Snapshot
- Flydubai Flight FZ1073, flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a violent cockpit struggle.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a pilot stabbed the other and “apparently attempted to crash the plane with everyone on board.”
- The plane dropped thousands of feet in about a minute before crew and passengers regained control and landed safely.
- The co-pilot was arrested in Saudi Arabia; Flydubai says the motive has not been officially confirmed.
Cockpit Fight Sends Jet Into Steep Dive
Flydubai Flight FZ1073 left Dubai for Tel Aviv on September 30 with about 180 people on board. Partway through the flight, a violent fight broke out in the cockpit between the two pilots. Passengers and news reports say one pilot stabbed the other, then appeared to try to crash the plane on purpose.
The aircraft plunged from roughly 34,000 feet to below 17,000 feet in about a minute while the struggle unfolded in the cockpit, according to passenger accounts and flight-tracking data cited by news outlets. Cabin crew and passengers, including the flight’s Indian captain, forced their way into the cockpit and held the co-pilot down until other crew members could take control.
Emergency Codes Triggered Before Diversion
Before the plane changed course, it transmitted the emergency codes 7700 and 750, signals pilots use to alert air traffic controllers to a general emergency and possible unlawful interference. Those codes, combined with the sudden loss of altitude, pushed the flight off its planned route toward Tel Aviv and sent it toward the nearest safe landing option in northeastern Saudi Arabia.
The plane touched down safely at Tabuk Airport. No passengers were seriously hurt, though the captain suffered stab wounds and required medical treatment. Saudi authorities took the co-pilot into custody once the aircraft landed, and he remains under arrest as officials sort out what happened in the cockpit.
Netanyahu Calls It an Attempted Attack
Netanyahu addressed the incident publicly the same day, saying, “During the flight, as they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently attempted to crash the plane with everyone on board.” Israeli officials briefed on the matter told reporters they believe the attack was intentional and ruled out a mental health crisis as the cause.
Passengers who lived through the ordeal described chaos and fear as the plane dropped and the fight played out feet away from them. One passenger, recorded in video shared after landing, said, “There was a hijacking, we have subdued the terrorists,” capturing the panic and confusion in the cabin during those final minutes before the diversion.
What Flydubai and Investigators Say Now
Flydubai has confirmed only that an “incident” took place on board, without detailing the stabbing or naming a motive. A spokesperson told reporters the airline has not established why the fight happened and that the matter remains under formal investigation by aviation authorities. That single acknowledgment is the closest the airline has come to addressing the specific claims made by officials and passengers.
The event has already drawn attention from aviation security experts, who note that cockpit violence severe enough to trigger emergency codes and a steep, unplanned descent is rare. Investigators in Saudi Arabia, with input from Israeli and UAE authorities, are expected to examine cockpit recordings, the co-pilot’s background, and crew statements to determine exactly what drove the attack and whether it could have been stopped sooner.
Sources:
edition.cnn.com, foxnews.com, fox5atlanta.com, gbcode.rthk.hk, indiatoday.in, bbc.com, english.mathrubhumi.com, theweek.in, indianexpress.com
