A Flydubai passenger flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on September 30 after an altercation in the cockpit in which the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and the aircraft entered a steep descent.
Flight FZ1073 was carrying around 180 people when the incident occurred while the Boeing 737 was en route to Israel. According to reporting from Reuters and other news organizations, the aircraft transmitted emergency signals and briefly descended rapidly before the situation was brought under control.
What happened on the flight?
Israeli officials said the co-pilot, identified by officials as an Omani national, attacked the Indian captain, Capt. Smit Machchhar. The aircraft subsequently went into a sharp descent, raising concerns that the plane could be in the process of being hijacked or deliberately crashed.
Despite being injured, the captain managed to open the cockpit door. Passengers and crew members then intervened and subdued the attacker. Other crew members helped regain control of the aircraft, which was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia and landed safely.
Passengers helped stop the attack
Passenger accounts described a chaotic situation inside the aircraft as people realized that the sudden movements were not ordinary turbulence. Several passengers and crew members entered the cockpit and helped restrain the attacker.
The injured captain and the suspected attacker were taken to hospital after the emergency landing. Passengers were later transported onward to Israel on another flight.
Was it a hijacking?
Early reports described the incident as a possible hijacking or attempted crash, partly because the aircraft transmitted an emergency signal associated with unlawful interference. However, the exact classification and motive remain under investigation. Flydubai said the reasons behind the cockpit altercation were not known and remained subject to a formal investigation.
Israeli authorities have also been investigating whether the incident was terrorism-related. Those claims should not be treated as established facts until investigators determine what happened and why.
Investigation continues
Authorities in Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are involved in investigating the incident. The circumstances inside the cockpit, the suspected attacker’s motive and the sequence of events that led to the aircraft’s rapid descent remain important parts of the investigation.
The incident ended without the aircraft crashing, but it raised significant questions about cockpit security and the procedures used to respond when a member of a flight crew becomes a threat to the aircraft.
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, and Flydubai statements as reported on September 30 and October 2, 2026.
