A serious security incident occurred on Wednesday, September 30, aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, following an altercation between the two pilots in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 MAX 8. The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely, while both pilots were taken to hospital.

Flydubai confirmed that a physical altercation had taken place on the flight deck and that members of its flight crew who were travelling on board managed to secure the situation and take control of the aircraft. All passengers and crew were accounted for after landing and, according to the information available, no passengers suffered serious injuries.

Details that emerged after the landing indicate that the situation was considerably more serious than the initial reports of an in-flight emergency suggested. Reuters, citing three Israeli officials, reported that the copilot allegedly attacked the captain with a knife during the flight. Israeli authorities are investigating whether he then attempted to take full control of the aircraft with the intention of crashing it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the incident as a very serious security event and said that one of the pilots, after stabbing the other, apparently attempted to crash the aircraft. According to the Israeli account, intervention by crew members and others on board prevented a major disaster. However, the motive behind the attack has not yet been officially established, and flydubai has cautioned against drawing premature conclusions before the investigation is completed.

According to Reuters, the suspected copilot is an Omani national, while the captain is an Indian national. Once the situation in the cockpit had been brought under control, two other flydubai pilots who were travelling off duty on the flight took over the controls and continued towards Tabuk.

Flightradar24 data illustrate the seriousness of the incident. The Boeing 737 MAX 8, registered A6-FKF, initially transmitted transponder code 7700, indicating a general emergency. It then briefly switched to code 7500, internationally used to indicate unlawful interference or hijacking, before returning to 7700.

During the most critical phase of the event, flight-tracking data show that the aircraft lost 14,125 feet of altitude in just 29 seconds, descending from approximately 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet. Further abrupt altitude changes were recorded before the flight was eventually stabilised.

The consequences of the manoeuvres were also visible on the aircraft itself. Photographs of A6-FKF after landing in Tabuk show damage to the rudder, with part of the surface missing. Specialist aviation outlet The Aviationist reported that the available data also indicate that the aircraft may have exceeded its maximum operating speed during the steep descent. Despite the damage, the additional flydubai crew managed to stabilise the aircraft and land it safely in Saudi Arabia.

According to information released by Saudi authorities, air traffic control in Tabuk received a distress call at 08:44 local time. The aircraft landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport at 09:45. Both pilots were taken to hospital for medical treatment, while passengers were assisted in the terminal.

There were 174 passengers on board, most of them Israeli nationals. Following the landing in Saudi Arabia, arrangements were made for their onward journey, while flydubai dispatched replacement aircraft to Tabuk to transport passengers and crew.

Saudi Arabia’s National Transport Safety Center has launched an investigation and is collecting evidence in coordination with other relevant authorities. Its findings will be crucial in establishing the precise sequence of events in the cockpit, the motive behind the attack, the circumstances surrounding the rapid loss of altitude and the cause of the damage sustained by the aircraft.

Flydubai has so far confirmed the physical altercation on the flight deck, injuries to the pilots and the fact that other members of its crew took control of the aircraft. However, the airline has not confirmed claims that the copilot deliberately intended to crash the aircraft. The carrier stressed that the reasons and motives behind the incident remain subject to a formal investigation and urged against speculation until the authorities establish the facts.

The incident aboard flight FZ1073 represents an exceptionally rare and serious security event originating inside the cockpit itself. The presence of additional qualified flydubai pilots on board proved crucial, as it allowed them to take control of the heavily destabilised and damaged aircraft once the situation had been secured and bring it to a safe landing in Tabuk.