A flydubai flight was diverted Wednesday morning to Saudi Arabia after the pilots clashed in the cockpit, the airline confirmed.
During the fight, the pilot activated a distress code used to signal unlawful interference with a flight, which may be used in cases of a suspected aircraft hijacking.
Flight FZ1073, which had been en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 180 Israelis on board, turned around while flying over Jordan and changed course. A few minutes after the distress code was activated, the pilot signaled that it was on its way to Israel, and once again changed direction.
Data from the Flightradar24 flight-tracking app shows that during the incident, the aircraft made an unusually rapid descent from an altitude of approximately 34,000 feet to around 14,000 feet.
According to the data, at one point the aircraft registered an instantaneous descent rate of approximately 30,976 feet per minute. Sharp changes were also recorded in the aircraft’s ground speed.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled toward the aircraft, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held an urgent meeting to discuss the situation.
The IDF said: “Following reports, the IDF Chief of the General Staff conducted a situational assessment in recent minutes with the Commander of the Israeli Air Force, the Head of the Operations Directorate, the Head of Military Intelligence, and additional commanders.”
However, the plane’s pilots did not contact control towers, and the flight disappeared from Flightradar24 and other flight-tracking apps.
Soon afterwards, the plane contacted Saudi authorities and safely landed in Saudi Arabia.
Later, flydubai confirmed that the distress signal had been entered due to the violent flight between the pilots. Channel 12 News reported that the pilot is Russian, and the copilot is Ukrainian.
A passenger who was aboard the flight told i24NEWS that during the unusual incident, an attempt was made to stab the pilot.
“The entire cockpit was covered in blood. The Israeli guys took control of the situation and caught the attacker,” the passenger said, adding, “We were either going to crash or be murdered. It was like a terrorist attack in mid-air.”
Passengers aboard the flight said that one of the pilots was stabbed with a penknife and that they noticed a large amount of blood. According to them, the pilot lost control of the flight for several minutes, and the Israeli passengers helped regain control of the situation.
According to a passenger, “There were moments when we were sure this was the end. We heard screaming and yelling and then we saw them open the cockpit and that there was blood there.”
Another passenger commented: “As soon as the cockpit opened, numerous Israeli passengers rushed forward. We heard shouts of ‘Allahu Akbar.'”
Authorities are investigating suspicions that one of the pilots attempted to take his own life and crash the plane, which later made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The second pilot, together with Israeli passengers on board, reportedly prevented the suspected attempt.
Following the incident, flydubai’s CEO informed Israeli transportation authorities that a plane will soon be sent from Dubai to Saudi Arabia and will continue from there to Israel.
The Prime Minister’s Office stated: “Following concerns of an aviation incident, Prime Minister Netanyahu held discussions on the matter and followed the developments.”
“The incident is under control, and we are now using all means available to bring the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.”
“Following situation assessments and passenger testimony, Israeli authorities are treating the incident as a terror attack in every respect,” a statement read. “It appears that the copilot repeatedly stabbed the captain.”
“Once the incident began, crew members and numerous passengers managed to breach the cockpit door and overpower the terrorist.”
A senior Israeli official said that a much greater disaster was prevented. The copilot is now being questioned, and indications are mounting that he intended to take control of the aircraft and crash it with the passengers on board.
Another senior Israeli official stated that there was an additional crew of pilots on the plane as part of a routine procedure, and they took over. “The flight was lucky they were there – otherwise we would have had another 9/11.”
A senior military official said it appears that the pilot involved in the incident is Omani, and that authorities are investigating the possibility that he attempted to take his own life using the aircraft.
At this stage, it remains unclear whether the motive, if such an attempt did in fact take place, was psychological or nationalistic. The official described the incident as “a great miracle” and attributed the outcome to the resourcefulness of the crew members and the assistance of Israeli passengers.
The IDF Chief of Staff is currently holding a situation assessment and considering whether to dispatch Israeli Air Force Hercules aircraft to Saudi Arabia, alongside Flydubai’s decision to send an aircraft to the country to return the passengers to Israel. The Air Force has raised its readiness level in preparation for the possibility of carrying out the mission.