A passenger on the flydubai flight traveling from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Israel and was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia described what happened inside the plane and said that someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocketknife.
“We heard screams on the plane. Then they opened the cockpit and we saw blood, and someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocketknife,” Times of Israel cited an unnamed woman as saying via a text message.
The woman also reportedly said that crew members and Israeli passengers aboard the plane helped to bring the attacker under control.
Another passenger also recalled the horror, saying that the pilots lost control of the plane after one of them was stabbed and “seriously injured".
She also said that passengers were screaming on the plane and that the flight began to dive quickly after pilots “lost control”.
{{/usCountry}}She also said that passengers were screaming on the plane and that the flight began to dive quickly after pilots “lost control”.
{{/usCountry}}The woman, who identified herself as Noam, told the network, “Screams began on the plane… by passengers who realized what was happening. We understand that one of the pilots was stabbed and seriously wounded, and they lost control of the plane. It started to dive quickly. It was very scary.”
What happened?
A Flydubai flight travelling from the United Arab Emirates to Israel diverted to Saudi Arabia after sending emergency signals following an alleged fight between the pilots, an Israeli official said on Wednesday.
Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, changed course over Jordanian airspace and headed towards Saudi Arabia after transmitting a general emergency signal, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
The flight sent another emergency signal several minutes later, indicating possible unlawful interference, Flightradar24 data showed.
Also read: What is squawk 7500? The ‘hijack’ code issued amid flydubai flight scare
The Boeing 737 plane later landed at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Flightradar24 also said that according to the flight's data, it experienced a rapid descend of nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal.
While some initial reports indicated a hijack scare, a spokesperson from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office later denied the claim.
After the emergency landing, Hebrew media outlet Ynet reported that the airline confirmed the hijacking signal was triggered due to an altercation between the two pilots. The incident took place after the aircraft briefly transmitted a code indicating possible unlawful interference while flying towards Israel.
Deep Dive
What caused the emergency landing of the flydubai flight?
Why did authorities initially suspect a hijacking on the flydubai flight?
How did passengers react during the incident on the flydubai flight?
“We prayed, ‘Shema Yisrael', there were also moments when we thought we weren’t going to make it out alive,” she added.
The report also mentioned that it is believed that the two pilots on the plane engaged in a violent confrontation, though no official information is yet available.