FlyDubai Tel Aviv flight: Did pilot try to crash plane?
A violent fight in the cockpit appears to have forced an Israel-bound flydubai flight to divert to Saudi Arabia, with one passenger reporting a knife and blood on the plane. However, claims that one of the pilots deliberately attempted to crash the plane have yet to be verified.
Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the pilots became involved in a physical altercation, an Israeli official told Reuters. AP separately cited a regional official briefed on the incident who said a fight had broken out in the cockpit, though its cause remained unclear.
Flydubai has gone no further than confirming that the Boeing 737 suffered an «incident» en route and diverted safely to Tabuk in north-western Saudi Arabia. All passengers were safe and accounted for, while the airline said it was working with the authorities, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The backstory: Israel-bound FlyDubai flight sends hijack alert
What happened in the cockpit?
The most serious account so far comes indirectly from a passenger.
A man named Yasmin Abu Kasis told Reuters that her daughter Miriam, who was aboard the flight, heard screaming and said a man had taken a knife, forced a pilot to the floor and that there was blood. Reuters did not independently establish who the man was or confirm the circumstances surrounding the reported knife attack.
First images from @flydubai flight: one of the passengers with blood on his shirt https://t.co/zfJ4UsDeaO pic.twitter.com/XDLzuz0DbE
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) September 30, 2026
Read more: Uzbekistan restores passenger flights to Saudi Arabia and UAE
Passengers speaking to Israel’s Channel 12 also reported hearing shouting near the front of the aircraft and said the plane dipped steeply during the incident, according to AP.
The aircraft first transmitted the general emergency code 7700, followed several minutes later by 7500, used to signal hijacking or unlawful interference. It later returned to 7700 before landing safely in Tabuk. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled as authorities initially treated the situation as a possible security incident.
Prime Minister's Office announcement:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 30, 2026
Following concerns over an aviation incident, Prime Minister Netanyahu held consultations on the matter and is monitoring developments.
The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the…
Israeli officials later ruled out a hijacking. According to The Jerusalem Post, the crew will be questioned and the aircraft inspected as authorities investigate what happened.
Did a pilot try to crash the plane?
Speculation has arisen that one of the pilots deliberately sent the aircraft into a descent and that the other pilot and passengers subdued him. The Australian described those accounts as unconfirmed. Flydubai has also given no such explanation.
The best-known modern case, the ill-fated Germanwings Flight 9525, resulted from a full accident investigation.
In March 2015, co-pilot Andreas Lubitz waited until he was alone in the cockpit, intentionally changed the Airbus A320’s autopilot to descend and kept the cockpit door locked as the captain tried to return. The aircraft struck the French Alps, killing all 150 people aboard, according to France’s BEA aviation safety agency.
