Passengers aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv were thrown into chaos Wednesday after Israeli officials said a co-pilot attacked the other pilot and allegedly tried to crash the plane, forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Flight FZ1073 was carrying roughly 150 passengers, many of them Israeli, when the terrifying incident unfolded over Saudi Arabia on Sept. 30.
The Boeing 737 had departed Dubai International Airport and was headed for Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv when the aircraft suddenly began transmitting emergency signals.
Flight-tracking data showed the plane first squawked 7700, the code used for a general emergency.
Minutes later, it transmitted 7500, a code associated with unlawful interference or a possible hijacking.
That signal immediately triggered a security response in Israel.
Israeli fighter jets were reportedly scrambled as authorities tried to determine whether the commercial airliner had been hijacked.
But what was happening inside the cockpit appears to have been even more alarming.
According to Israeli officials and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of the pilots allegedly attacked the other with a knife and then attempted to send the aircraft into a dive.
The exact motive remains under investigation, and authorities have not yet publicly released a final determination about whether the incident should be classified as terrorism.
Passengers described screaming, blood and panic as the plane suddenly lost altitude.
Flight data showed the aircraft dropping dramatically from cruising altitude during the emergency.
Some tracking analyses showed it falling from around 34,000 feet to roughly 17,000 feet in just over two minutes, while Reuters reported an even sharper portion of the descent in which the plane lost nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.
Passengers later said it felt as though the aircraft was plunging out of control.
One woman aboard the plane said her husband rushed toward the cockpit after hearing people yelling about a stabbing.
She said passengers near the front helped overpower the alleged attacker.
Netanyahu later said passengers and another crew member forced their way into the cockpit and subdued the co-pilot while the plane was diving.
The intervention may have prevented a catastrophe.
Other reports said additional qualified pilots who happened to be traveling aboard the flight were able to help stabilize and control the aircraft.
The injured pilot reportedly received emergency medical assistance while the plane remained in the air.
Both pilots were later taken to a hospital after the aircraft landed.
Saudi authorities reportedly detained the co-pilot accused of the attack and began questioning him.
Israeli reports identified him as an Omani national, although officials have not released extensive details about his background.
The aircraft briefly entered Jordanian airspace during the emergency before turning back toward Saudi Arabia.
Its tracking signal also disappeared for a period before reappearing as the flight headed toward Tabuk.
The jet eventually landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai confirmed that all passengers were safe and accounted for.
The airline acknowledged that the flight had experienced an onboard “incident” but initially released few details about what had happened inside the cockpit.
“Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” the airline said, adding that further information would be released once facts were confirmed.
The emergency created an unusual diplomatic situation because Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations.
Saudi officials nevertheless handled the emergency landing and began coordinating with Israeli authorities over the passengers.
Netanyahu said the situation was under control and that efforts were underway to return the Israeli travelers home.
Early in the incident, Israeli officials initially described what happened as a fight or violent altercation between the pilots rather than a hijacking.
Later accounts became more serious.
Netanyahu said the co-pilot had attempted to crash the aircraft after attacking the other pilot.
Israeli security officials are now investigating whether the alleged attack was deliberate and whether terrorism played any role.
Authorities have not publicly announced a confirmed motive.
That distinction is important because several of the most dramatic details surrounding the incident initially came from passengers and unnamed security officials while the investigation was still developing.
Footage recorded aboard the aircraft showed frightened passengers following the emergency, while images circulating through Israeli media appeared to show blood inside the cabin area.
Investigators are expected to review cockpit voice recordings, flight-data recorders, crew histories, security information and passenger testimony to determine exactly how the confrontation began and what happened during the aircraft’s rapid descent.
The incident also raises major questions about cockpit security.
Modern commercial aircraft are designed with reinforced cockpit doors intended to prevent unauthorized access, but Wednesday’s emergency allegedly began between the two people already authorized to be inside.
That meant passengers and other crew members faced an unusually difficult situation in trying to intervene.
Despite the sudden dive, cockpit violence and hijacking fears, the flight ended without injuries to any of the passengers.
Israeli officials described the outcome as the prevention of a potentially enormous disaster.
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