Israeli media report that authorities are probing whether a pilot on a Flydubai flight attempted to crash an aircraft bound for Tel Aviv on Wednesday. The plane, operating as flight FZ 1073, underwent a sudden and steep descent during its journey from Dubai, prompting an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The carrier confirmed that all passengers aboard the Boeing 737 MAX 8 were safe.
According to reports from Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, investigators are examining allegations that one pilot intentionally tried to bring the plane down while the other intervened to prevent the catastrophe. Initial accounts described the situation as a physical altercation between the two crew members. However, subsequent reporting from the Ynet news portal suggested that passengers played a role in stopping the second pilot from crashing the aircraft.
Images circulated by Israeli outlets appeared to show a passenger with blood on his shirt. One pilot reportedly suffered a stab wound during the incident. Media sources identified the captain as being of Russian origin and the co-pilot as Ukrainian.
Flight tracking data indicates the aircraft lost approximately half of its altitude in a matter of moments. The plane descended from nearly 34,000 feet (10,360 meters) at 05:21 GMT to below 17,000 feet (5,180 meters) at 05:22 GMT. In response to the alarming descent, Israel’s military scrambled fighter jets due to initial fears of a possible hijacking, though that possibility was later ruled out by Israeli public broadcaster Kan and Channel 12.
Flydubai stated that the aircraft experienced an “incident” en route and landed safely in Tabuk. A spokesperson emphasized that all travelers were accounted for and secure.
Skeptical about the claims. It feels like too many conflicting reports coming from different Israeli media outlets. Let’s wait for official findings.
The reported nationalities of the pilots seem to be dominating the headlines. I hope the investigation focuses purely on the pilot’s actions, not politics.
Wait, so passengers actually intervened? That sounds like a movie scene. How did they manage to stop a trained pilot in the cockpit?
This is absolutely terrifying. I can’t believe a pilot would attempt something so reckless. The speed of the descent is alarming.