Passengers on flydubai flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced a mid-air crisis on Wednesday when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain, causing the aircraft to plunge from 34,000ft to 17,000ft in under two minutes before an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. All 150 passengers were accounted for and safe.
Mid-air attack and rapid descent
The Boeing 737 Max was about two and a half hours into its flight when the incident began. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 recorded the aircraft descending abruptly from its cruising altitude of about 34,000ft to 17,000ft in less than two minutes. Investigators will examine whether this sudden movement caused damage to the aircraft's rudder.
Minutes later, the plane transmitted emergency transponder signals, including hijack codes, and made an erratic circle near the Jordanian border before turning south. Video from inside the fuselage showed two men lying on the floor with breathing masks, one in a blood-soaked white shirt with pilot stripes, as passengers stood over them.
Passenger accounts and rescue
Passenger Dalia Shpigel told Haaretz that “suddenly there were terrible screams throughout the plane” before “three to five guys burst into the cockpit” and subdued the alleged assailant. Fellow passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon said the “co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane”, adding that “it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralised him”.
In a video, a passenger with blood dripping from a head wound pleaded for help, saying in Hebrew: “Whoever is hearing me, we need help. We are in the Tabuk area of Saudi Arabia, which we don’t know. All the passengers are OK except for the pilot.”
Investigation and official response
Flydubai said the aircraft was “successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight”, who diverted and landed safely at Tabuk. One passenger told the BBC that two spare pilots onboard, including a British relief pilot, entered the cockpit and stabilised the plane.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot “apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone onboard”, calling the passengers “heroes”. Flydubai, however, warned against premature speculation, stating that “the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation”.
