Passengers and extra crew subdued a co-pilot who stabbed the captain and tried to crash Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, officials said. The Boeing 737 MAX, carrying about 174 people—most of them Israeli, including children—plunged thousands of feet before landing safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The flight departed Dubai International Airport on the morning of 30 September 2026. Roughly two hours later, while over or near Jordanian airspace approaching Israel, the aircraft lost more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds, according to Flightradar24 data. It transmitted the general emergency code 7700, then the 7500 code used for unlawful interference or hijacking. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and “apparently tried to crash the plane with its passengers on board.” Passengers and a crew member forced their way into the cockpit after the aircraft entered a dive; they found the co-pilot attempting to sabotage the aircraft’s systems and overpowered him. Two additional flydubai pilots traveling as passengers then helped land the plane.
Israeli officials identified the attacker as an Omani national serving as co-pilot. Defense Minister Israel Katz called the episode an “attempted jihadist terror attack” that was thwarted by passengers who restored control to other crew. The captain and first officer were injured and hospitalized. Saudi authorities arrested the suspect after landing. Flydubai confirmed all passengers were safe and accounted for.
Passenger accounts described screams, a sudden loss of control, and a struggle with a knife-wielding attacker. Motive remains under investigation by Saudi and Israeli authorities; early Israeli assessments treat it as a terror attempt rather than a medical or mental-health incident, though full details have not been independently confirmed. Israel worked to repatriate the passengers. The incident is one of the most serious cockpit security events on a commercial flight in years.
SOURCES:
What happened on diverted Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv? | Aviation News | Al Jazeera
Passengers overcame pilot who tried to crash flydubai flight, Israel says | Reuters
Copilot subdued after stabbing pilot in alleged attempt to crash plane full of Israelis | The Times of Israel
Israel-Dubai flight: Passenger describes grabbing attacker and taking plane controls – BBC News
Netanyahu says pilot arrested after stabbing fellow pilot and apparently trying to crash Israel-bound plane – as it happened | Air transport | The Guardian
Live Updates: FlyDubai Pilot May Have Attempted to Crash Flight to Israel, Netanyahu Says – The New York Times
Pilot of flydubai plane who fought off ‘terrorist’ first officer on Israel-bound flight ID’d as Indian national
