WARNING VIDEO: Pilot is stabbed mid-air as Israel-bound plane plunges 17,000 feet
A violent cockpit confrontation sent a Flydubai flight into an emergency as passengers feared the worst
Terror unfolded in the air aboard a Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv after the two pilots became involved in a physical altercation . The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where both pilots were hospitalized with injuries after the plane landed safely.
According to Israeli officials , the co-pilot stabbed the pilot and then attempted to take control of the aircraft . Passengers intervened and subdued him while other crew members took over and managed to land the Boeing 737 safely in Saudi Arabia. Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft had experienced an incident but said the reasons behind it remained unknown , urging against premature speculation while the investigation continues.
A sudden plunge raised the alarm
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft rapidly losing altitude during the chaos. Flightradar24 recorded a descent of nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the plane sent its first emergency signal. Other flight-tracking data showed the aircraft falling from around 34,000 feet to roughly 16,600 feet in just over two minutes.
The aircraft first transmitted a general emergency signal before sending another alert indicating possible unlawful interference, a code associated with a potential hijacking. The emergency signals triggered a major security response, with Israel scrambling fighter jets as authorities feared the plane could have been hijacked.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one of the pilots had been arrested and was being questioned after apparently stabbing the other pilot and attempting to crash the plane. The motive behind the confrontation remains unclear, while Saudi authorities continue to investigate what happened aboard the flight.
Passengers faced an unexpected problem on the ground
The emergency landing also created a diplomatic complication after Saudi Arabia rejected an Israeli request to send military aircraft to bring the passengers home. Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, so Israeli military planes could not simply arrive to repatriate those on board.
The passengers eventually left Saudi Arabia aboard a replacement Flydubai aircraft after spending eight hours on the ground . Both pilots remained hospitalized after suffering injuries during the incident, while authorities continued working to establish exactly what happened inside the cockpit.
