A pilot brawl, then a rapid descent: passengers recount chaos on flydubai flight

On Wednesday, flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced a mid-air emergency. The plane suddenly plunged from over 30,000 feet, causing panic among the 170-180 passengers on board. According to passenger Almog Italie, it felt like the plane was passing through massive turbulence before he realised a struggle had unfolded in the cockpit.

Israeli officials reported that the co-pilot had stabbed the captain in an attempt to crash the plane. The aircraft began descending at around 8:20 am, losing approximately 17,400 feet in less than two minutes while travelling towards Saudi Arabia. Passengers feared for their lives, with one passenger's daughter, Miryam, telling AFP that everyone thought they were going to die.

The situation was brought under control with the help of passengers and other crew members. Two relief pilots, who were travelling in the rear of the aircraft, were asked to take control. The plane eventually stabilised and made a safe emergency landing in Tabuk, north-western Saudi Arabia. According to Free Press Journal, the aircraft briefly transmitted a distress signal before reverting to a normal signal, and all passengers were reported safe.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Free Press Journal — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.