A plane flying from Dubai to Israel plunged thousands of feet in less than a minute after the co-pilot reportedly tried to crash the aircraft, which Israel is treating as a suspected terror attack.
The FlyDubai plane carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, took off from the United Arab Emirates early on Wednesday morning was scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv before being forced into an emergency stop at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. Most of the passengers were Israeli nationals.
About an hour an a half into the flight, while over Jordanian airspace, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 suddenly dropped 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, the flight-tracking site Flightradar24 showed.
The plane issued a 7700 signal indicating a general emergency and suddenly diverted towards Saudi Arabia. Several minutes later it transmitted a 7500 signal indicating a possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets.
The aircraft appeared to have damage to its tail on the runway after landing, with the cause unclear.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office said it was not believed to have been a hijacking, but a senior Israeli official told The i Paper it is being “treated as a suspected terror attack.” Another government source told Israeli media “This wasn’t something innocent.”
One Israeli passenger told the that one pilot, believed to be an Omani national, stabbed his Emirati co-pilot as the plane began a steep descent. The passenger said Israelis seated at the front of the aircraft rushed the cabin and attacked the pilot. Photos from the scene showed a passenger with blood stains on their shirt.
Another passenger told Israel’s Channel 12 that one of the Israeli who stormed the cockpit had stabbed a pilot. “We heard screams and screams, and then we saw that the cockpit was being opened and there was blood there. We realised that a person who was on the plane had stabbed the pilot,” they said.
Graphic footage appeared to show passengers caring for a wounded pilot and restraining another.
Israeli media reported that a second team of pilots were on board and two were able to take controls and land the plane safely, which security officials described as a “miracle.”
Saudi aviation authorities said both of the original pilots were recieving treatment for injuries in hospital. An Israeli dentist on board reportedly treated the pilot who was stabbed.
Another passenger told Israel’s Channel 12 that one of the Israeli who stormed the cockpit had stabbed a pilot. “We heard screams and screams, and then we saw that the cockpit was being opened and there was blood there. We realised that a person who was on the plane had stabbed the pilot,” they said.
An Israeli official told the channel that if the alternative pilots had not been on the plane, the incident could have ended in a disaster similar to the 9/11 terror attacks.
The official said: “A major disaster was avoided. There are increasing indications that the pilot wanted to take control of the plane and crash it with the passengers.”
The reports have not been confirmed. The pilot is being questioned. FlyDubai said it had opened an investigation into the incident and all passengers were safe and accounted for.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defence Minister, Israel Katz, convened a security consultation in the aftermath of the incident.
The Israeli military said Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had cancelled a planned trip to the US to hold a situation assessment with the heads of the air force and military operations and intelligence directorates, and other senior officers.
The Shin Bet domestic security agency, Mossad intelligence service, police and National Security Council also held assessments as officials sought to establish what had happened aboard the aircraft.
Another Fly Dubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned around mid-flight before contiuing on to Israel.
The British Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.
Israel-bound flight diverted after ‘fight between pilots’
A Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv had to be diverted this morning after a physical fight between the plane’s two pilots, Israeli officials have told local media.
Emergency code triggered
Two hours after taking off from Dubai, the flight signalled an emergency code, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.
The plane, carrying around 150 people, mostly Israelis, was diverted to land in Saudi Arabia instead of Ben-Guiron airport.
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Air force responds
- Israel dispatched fighter jets to the incident site
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations
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Flydubai issues statement
A Flydubai spokesperson confirmed the flight “experienced an incident while en route”, and that updates will be issued as further details become available. “Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” it added.
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