Commercial Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Co-Pilot Stabs Captain, Nose Dives Plane

Passengers aboard an Israel-bound jet were thrown into a terrifying midair emergency Wednesday after a violent incident inside the cockpit sent the aircraft plunging and triggered initial fears that the plane had been hijacked.

The Flydubai flight ultimately made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia — but Israeli officials say the crisis began when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain.

Flight FZ1073 had departed Dubai for Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv when the confrontation erupted aboard the Boeing 737.

Two Israeli officials told Reuters that the co-pilot was believed to have stabbed the captain before cabin crew entered the cockpit and helped bring the situation under control.

Israeli authorities are now investigating whether the incident may have been an attempted “terror attack.”

For the passengers trapped aboard the aircraft, the moments that followed were terrifying.

One passenger described panic throughout the cabin as the aircraft suddenly began losing altitude.

“There are many different accounts, but apparently the co-pilot stabbed the captain and collapsed onto the controls, shutting down the entire instrument panel. We began plunging downward for several minutes. Everyone on the plane was screaming, the overhead compartments opened, and the power went out. We were sure we were going to die. It was very scary,” the passenger said.

Flydubai has confirmed that an incident occurred aboard the aircraft and that the plane landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

The airline has not publicly confirmed the reported stabbing or explained what caused the confrontation inside the cockpit.

Both pilots were hospitalized with injuries, according to Reuters.

Flight-tracking data showed just how severe the emergency became.

The aircraft reportedly dropped nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before transmitting an emergency signal.

The jet initially squawked 7700 — the universal transponder code indicating a general emergency.

It then briefly switched to 7500.

That code signals possible unlawful interference with an aircraft and immediately intensified concerns that a hijacking or other security incident could be unfolding.

The aircraft later switched back to 7700 before safely landing in Tabuk.

Israeli authorities responded rapidly as the crisis developed.

With more than 100 Israeli passengers reportedly aboard, officials initially feared the aircraft could have been hijacked and scrambled fighter jets.

A regional official confirmed that an altercation apparently involving the pilots had occurred inside the cockpit, although investigators were still working to establish exactly what happened.

“The crew have been questioned as part of the investigation,” the regional official said, according to The Associated Press, without specifying whether anyone had been detained.

Passengers told Israeli media that shouting could be heard near the front of the aircraft shortly before the plane suddenly descended.

Capt. Meidan Barr, former chairman of the Israel Airline Pilot Association, said a rapid loss of altitude of that magnitude would ordinarily resemble an emergency maneuver used after a serious problem such as cabin depressurization.

“Losing like 15,000 feet in two or three minutes, that is something that you do in, like, an emergency descent when you lose pressure,” Barr said.

Barr noted that the aircraft’s successful landing was particularly important because investigators would now have access to the plane and its systems as they attempt to reconstruct exactly what occurred.

After touching down in Tabuk, passengers reportedly remained aboard while Saudi security forces surrounded the aircraft.

The incident also prompted an immediate response at the highest levels of the Israeli government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened security consultations and cleared the remainder of his schedule while officials worked to determine whether the incident was connected to a broader security threat.

Israel’s airspace was temporarily closed before reopening after the Flydubai aircraft landed safely.

Flydubai subsequently acknowledged the diversion while stopping short of confirming the more serious allegations surrounding what happened inside the cockpit.

“Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” the carrier said. “Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available.”

The motive behind the reported cockpit attack remains under investigation.

Israeli officials are examining whether the episode could constitute a terror incident, while Flydubai has so far publicly confirmed only that an in-flight incident occurred, the aircraft diverted safely to Saudi Arabia and the passengers were safe.

Investigators must now determine what triggered the confrontation, exactly what happened between the two pilots and whether the incident was an isolated act or something more serious.