Flydubai Cockpit Altercation Leads to Emergency Landing

PHOTO CAPTION: A bloodied passenger aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 records video from inside the aircraft following the Sept. 30 cockpit incident. The flight made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Passengers and crew members intervened aboard a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday after a violent cockpit altercation that left both pilots injured and sent the aircraft into a rapid descent before an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and apparently tried to crash the aircraft. Flydubai has confirmed that an altercation occurred on the flight deck but has not confirmed an attempted crash or the motive behind the incident.
Flight FZ1073 departed Dubai for Ben Gurion International Airport on Sept. 30 before the emergency unfolded roughly two and a half hours into the flight.
Flight-tracking data showed the Boeing 737 suddenly losing thousands of feet of altitude as it approached the Saudi-Jordanian border.
The aircraft initially transmitted the emergency code 7700, indicating a general emergency. Minutes later, it switched to 7500, the internationally recognized code for unlawful interference with an aircraft, before switching back to the general emergency code.
Flydubai said additional company crew members traveling aboard the flight secured the aircraft and it was diverted safely to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu gave a more detailed account after speaking with a passenger from the flight.
He said a passenger and a crew member managed to enter the cockpit as the aircraft was diving and helped subdue the attacker. Other crew members then took control of the aircraft.
Video from inside the plane reviewed by The Associated Press showed two injured men on the floor as people provided medical treatment and others guarded the cockpit. Other passenger footage captured fear and confusion inside the cabin during the emergency.
Passengers speaking with Israeli media also described hearing shouting from the cockpit before the aircraft suddenly descended.
Saudi officials at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk said both the captain and first officer suffered injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment.
The airport said the flight issued a distress call at 8:44 a.m. local time and landed safely at 9:45 a.m.
Flydubai said all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for following the landing.
The airline has been more cautious about what caused the incident than Israeli officials.
“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation,” flydubai said.
The airline urged against premature speculation while authorities investigate.
Reuters reported that three Israeli officials said their current assessment was that the incident could have been an attempted terrorist attack. One of those officials identified the suspected attacker as an Omani national.
Those details have not been independently confirmed by flydubai or Saudi authorities, and early media reports contained conflicting information about the pilots and the motive.
Israel initially scrambled fighter jets after the aircraft transmitted the unlawful-interference signal. The jets were later stood down after the plane diverted and landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai sent replacement aircraft to Tabuk to assist the stranded passengers and crew.
The investigation into exactly what happened inside the cockpit, why the altercation began and whether there was a deliberate attempt to crash the aircraft remained underway Wednesday.