Flydubai Pilot Attempted to Crash Plane from Dubai to Tel Aviv
- A Flydubai commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted abruptly to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following a mid-air security breach involving an alleged cockpit attack.
- Carrying roughly 180 passengers, according to the Times of Israel, the aircraft touched down safely at Tabuk Airport.
- Flight-tracking data revealed that the plane held a normal trajectory for two hours and fifteen minutes before executing a sudden, steep descent.
Emergency Diversion to Tabuk After Cockpit Confrontation
A Flydubai commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted abruptly to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following a mid-air security breach involving an alleged cockpit attack.
Carrying roughly 180 passengers, according to the Times of Israel, the aircraft touched down safely at Tabuk Airport. Israeli officials indicated in preliminary findings that one of the pilots attempted to crash the plane. Concurrently, security sources confirmed that Israel scrambled fighter jets to track the flight.
Erratic Flight Paths and Distress Signals
Flight-tracking data revealed that the plane held a normal trajectory for two hours and fifteen minutes before executing a sudden, steep descent. The Times of Israel reported that the aircraft subsequently climbed and dropped sharply once more, struggling to hold a stable altitude for roughly an hour. This erratic behavior pointed to manual control rather than autopilot operation.
Flight data cited by Reuters showed the aircraft transmitted an international distress signal immediately followed by a code signaling unlawful interference or hijacking.
Cabin Panic and Passenger Accounts
Inside the cabin, passengers faced sheer panic and chaos as the aircraft suffered wild altitude drops.
Multiple travelers reported seeing blood inside the cockpit and hearing screams once the door opened. One passenger texted Israel’s Channel 12 to state that a pilot had been stabbed with a pocketknife. Another traveler told the same broadcaster that one of the pilots sustained serious injuries during the confrontation, causing him to lose control of the plane.
Off-Duty Intervention and Saudi Detention
Unconfirmed Israeli media reports identified the copilot as an Omani citizen. Saudi authorities are currently investigating him for allegedly stabbing the flight captain and attempting to bring down the aircraft.
Channel 12 reported that off-duty pilots traveling as passengers stepped in to stop the suspect from seizing full control of the plane. However, the Times of Israel noted that this specific detail could not be immediately verified.
High-Level Security Response and Flydubai’s Next Steps
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz launched emergency talks in the wake of the incident. IDF Chief of Staff Ejal Zamir also convened top military officials to evaluate the situation.
Netanyahu’s office subsequently released a statement declaring the incident under control while brushing off initial fears of a conventional hijacking. Flydubai acknowledged that an unspecified incident took place on board, confirmed that all passengers landed safely in Tabuk, and stated it was preparing a secondary aircraft to fly the travelers onward to Tel Aviv. Neither Abu Dhabi nor Tel Aviv released immediate official statements regarding the incident.