Flydubai Flight Plunges After Cockpit Stabbing, Passengers Help Regain Control

NEW DELHI: A routine flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into a mid-air emergency on Wednesday after an alleged violent confrontation in the cockpit left the captain injured and sent the aircraft into a rapid descent before passengers and other pilots helped restore control.

The Flydubai Boeing 737, operating as FZ1073, eventually landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The aircraft was carrying 174 people, according to reports. The passengers were later flown onward to Israel.

The precise sequence of events inside the cockpit is still being investigated. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and then apparently attempted to crash the aircraft.

Flydubai has said the flight experienced an “incident” and that the reasons and motives remain subject to investigation.

The aircraft’s descent was dramatic. Flight-tracking data showed it losing roughly 14,000 feet in less than half a minute during the crisis, prompting emergency signals and a diversion towards Saudi Arabia.

Indian captain injured

The captain, Smit Machchhar, is an Indian national and was previously associated with SpiceJet, according to reports.

He was injured during the confrontation with the co-pilot and was subsequently taken to hospital after the aircraft reached Tabuk. The co-pilot was also injured.

Passenger accounts have provided a dramatic picture of what followed.

According to an account reported by The Jerusalem Post, two additional pilots were travelling on the aircraft. When the emergency unfolded, they initially appeared stunned and did not immediately move into the cockpit.

A passenger reportedly intervened, urging and physically shaking the additional pilots before they moved forward to help.

One of them then took over the controls while another reportedly took longer to recover from the shock. The account has not been independently verified.

Other passengers also rushed towards the cockpit after the disturbance became apparent. Reports say they helped remove the alleged attacker from the flight deck, allowing other crew members and pilots to regain control of the aircraft.

Emergency landing in Tabuk

The aircraft transmitted emergency signals while flying near the Saudi-Jordan border.

Flight-tracking data indicated that the plane briefly entered Jordanian airspace before turning back towards Saudi Arabia and requesting an emergency landing at Tabuk.

Saudi airport authorities confirmed that the aircraft landed safely. Both pilots were taken for medical treatment, while passengers remained safe.

A replacement Flydubai aircraft was later used to take the passengers to Israel.

The incident triggered an immediate security response in Israel.

Israeli authorities initially feared that the aircraft could have been the subject of a hijacking or other unlawful interference and scrambled fighter aircraft as a precaution.

Motive still unclear

Netanyahu said the co-pilot stabbed the captain and apparently tried to bring down the aircraft. Israeli officials have been examining whether the episode amounted to an attempted terrorist attack.

However, the motive has not been established publicly. The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority said it was investigating the causes and circumstances of the incident, while Flydubai said conclusions about the reasons behind the episode should await the formal investigation.

The dramatic episode has also raised questions about cockpit security, pilot screening and procedures for dealing with an incapacitated or hostile flight crew member.

Authorities are expected to examine the pilots’ backgrounds, cockpit access procedures and the precise chain of events leading to the aircraft’s sudden descent.

For the passengers, however, the immediate crisis ended without a crash.

After the aircraft was stabilised and diverted, the flight landed safely in Saudi Arabia, bringing to an end an episode that could have had far more serious consequences.