A Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a violent confrontation in the cockpit. Israeli officials and passengers said one of the pilots stabbed the other and allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft. Flydubai Flight FZ1073 was traveling from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates to Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel on Wednesday, September 30.
The airline confirmed that an altercation occurred in the flight deck. Flydubai said crew members traveling aboard the aircraft were able to secure the plane and divert it to Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. All of the passengers were safely accounted for. Passengers, however, described a much more serious situation inside the aircraft and said the flight had been proceeding normally when the plane suddenly began moving violently.
Several passengers initially believed the aircraft had encountered severe turbulence. Passenger Ron Levi told CBS News that the movement became increasingly severe and that the aircraft began turning sideways and moving sharply up and down. Flight-tracking information showed the Boeing 737 MAX 8 rapidly losing thousands of feet of altitude during the incident.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other pilot and then apparently attempted to crash the aircraft with the passengers aboard. Netanyahu said passengers and crew members helped overpower the attacking pilot and regain control of the aircraft. The full circumstances surrounding the confrontation have not yet been independently established.
Flydubai's public statement did not identify either pilot or say that one of them deliberately attempted to crash the aircraft. The airline described the event as an altercation in the flight deck and said the reasons and motives behind it remained under investigation. Passengers, however, gave accounts of a violent struggle inside the cockpit.
Miryam Shira Ohayon, who was aboard the flight, told reporters that the co-pilot attacked the pilot and attempted to take control of the aircraft. She said passengers and other people aboard the plane eventually intervened. Some passengers reportedly entered the cockpit after the injured pilot was able to provide access, while additional Flydubai crew members who happened to be traveling aboard the flight helped regain control of the aircraft.
CBS News reported that an off-duty flight crew member aboard the plane helped fly it to safety. The aircraft ultimately landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. The injured pilot received medical treatment, and Saudi authorities said two crew members were hospitalized with injuries following the incident. No passengers were reported injured.
Israeli officials said the pilot accused of carrying out the attack was detained by Saudi authorities for questioning. Authorities have not publicly established a motive. Israeli security officials are investigating whether the incident was an attempted terrorist attack and whether anyone else may have been involved.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the incident as an attempted terrorist attack. That characterization has not been independently confirmed, and Flydubai has not publicly described the incident as terrorism. The nationality and identity of the accused pilot have also been the subject of reports that have not all been independently confirmed by Saudi or Emirati authorities.
The dramatic loss of altitude was one of the most frightening parts of the incident for passengers. Flight-tracking data cited by news organizations showed the aircraft descending by more than 17,000 feet in roughly two minutes during the emergency. Passengers said the movements inside the cabin were extreme and that they did not initially understand what was happening.
Some people aboard the aircraft reportedly saw injured or blood-covered crew members after passengers became involved in stopping the confrontation. Once the situation was under control, the aircraft continued to Tabuk rather than continuing toward Israel. Flydubai later sent replacement aircraft to Saudi Arabia to transport the passengers onward.
Passengers eventually arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel, where relatives and security officials were waiting. Flydubai said the incident did not affect the airline's other scheduled operations. The airline also said it was cooperating with the appropriate authorities as the investigation continued.
The flight involved a Boeing 737 MAX 8, one of the main aircraft types used by Flydubai on regional and international routes. The incident is likely to receive close attention from aviation investigators because cockpit security procedures are designed both to prevent unauthorized access and to allow flight crews to respond to emergencies. Those procedures can become especially complicated when the threat originates inside the cockpit itself.
Investigators will likely examine how the confrontation began, how control of the aircraft was affected and how other crew members were able to enter the cockpit. Authorities will also need to determine whether the alleged attack was planned in advance or resulted from another type of dispute. Another major question is whether a weapon was involved and, if so, how it was brought aboard the aircraft.
Reports citing Israeli officials have described the attack as a stabbing, but details about the object allegedly used have varied. Saudi authorities are expected to play a major role in the investigation because the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia and the accused crew member was detained there. The United Arab Emirates may also be involved because Flydubai is based in Dubai and the flight originated there.
Israeli investigators are examining the incident because the aircraft was traveling to Israel and many of the passengers were Israeli. For the passengers aboard Flight FZ1073, the investigation comes after a frightening trip that ended safely despite the violence in the cockpit. The aircraft landed without a passenger fatality, and the people aboard were eventually able to continue their journey to Israel.
Authorities are still working to determine exactly why the confrontation happened and whether the alleged attempt to bring down the aircraft was connected to terrorism or another motive.