Flydubai incident: Pilot stabbed, plane plunged thousands of feet, fighter jets scrambled. What happened on Dubai-Tel Aviv flight?

A routine flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into a mid-air emergency on Wednesday after passengers reported hearing screams, seeing blood in the cockpit and witnessing a violent confrontation involving the pilots. The Boeing 737 carrying more than 150 passengers eventually diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia and landed safely. Flight FZ1073 had initially triggered fears of a possible hijacking after it transmitted emergency signals, including Code 7500, which is used to indicate unlawful interference or a suspected hijacking. Israeli authorities responded by scrambling fighter jets as they tried to establish what was happening aboard the aircraft. However, subsequent updates indicated that the incident was linked to a violent altercation between the pilots rather than a planned hijacking. The precise sequence of events inside the cockpit remains under investigation.

What happened on the flydubai flight?

Passengers described a sudden change in the atmosphere inside the aircraft after screams were heard in the cabin. One Israeli passenger told Channel 12 that passengers heard screaming before the cockpit door was opened. The passenger said blood was visible and alleged that one of the pilots had been stabbed with a pocketknife.



Another passenger, identified as Noam by The Times of Israel, said passengers realised that something serious was happening after the screams began. Passengers reportedly moved to help crew members restrain the person involved in the confrontation. Their accounts have not independently established the exact sequence of events inside the cockpit.

Did a pilot try to crash the plane?

One of the most serious claims surrounding the incident is that one pilot may have attempted to take control of the aircraft and deliberately crash it. Israeli media reports, citing officials and passenger accounts, said there were indications that the copilot may have tried to take control of the aircraft. Another version of the account said the other pilot resisted and passengers helped during the struggle.


A senior Israeli official told Channel 12 that a major disaster had potentially been prevented and that the copilot was being investigated. These claims remain part of an ongoing investigation. Flydubai has not publicly confirmed the allegation that a pilot attempted to crash the aircraft.

Why did the plane suddenly plunge?

Flight-tracking data showed an abrupt change in the aircraft's altitude during the emergency. The Boeing 737 reportedly dropped thousands of feet in a very short period before climbing again and later descending further. The unusual flight path added to concerns among passengers and authorities about what was happening inside the cockpit.


The aircraft also transmitted emergency Code 7700 before briefly switching to Code 7500. Code 7700 is the standard transponder code for a general emergency, while 7500 indicates unlawful interference or a suspected hijacking. The aircraft later returned to an emergency signal before continuing towards Saudi Arabia.

Israeli fighter jets scrambled

The Code 7500 transmission initially raised the possibility that the aircraft had been hijacked. Israeli authorities were unable to immediately establish what was happening on board and scrambled fighter jets as a precaution.


Later assessments indicated that the incident was not a conventional hijacking and was instead connected to the confrontation between the pilots.

flydubai flight landed in Saudi Arabia

The aircraft was diverted from its original route to Tel Aviv and headed towards Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It eventually landed safely at Tabuk Airport. flydubai confirmed that FZ1073 had experienced an incident during the flight and said all passengers were safe and accounted for. The airline said its teams were working with the relevant authorities and that further information would be released once confirmed details became available.

What did passengers see inside the cockpit?

Passenger accounts have provided the most dramatic details of the incident, including reports of screams, a knife attack and blood. One account said passengers saw a pilot being attacked and later saw blood inside the cockpit. Other reports said passengers, including people with aviation experience, helped crew members during the confrontation.

Channel 12 also reported that two additional pilots were travelling as passengers on the aircraft. They were reportedly in civilian clothes and became involved when the situation escalated. The details of their role have not been independently confirmed.

Was the flydubai flight actually hijacked?

At this stage, available reports indicate that the flight was not a conventional hijacking. The Code 7500 signal created an immediate hijacking concern, but Israeli officials later said the situation appeared to have resulted from a violent incident involving the pilots. Reuters also reported that authorities had ruled out hijacking as the cause of the emergency.

The investigation is continuing, and several of the most serious allegations, including the claim that one pilot attempted to crash the aircraft, have not been officially established. For the passengers, however, the immediate crisis ended when the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk. flydubai has confirmed that everyone on board was safe and accounted for.