Inside FlyDubai’s 4-hour ordeal: A cockpit fight, steep descents and alternating distress codes

This account details the harrowing four-hour journey of FlyDubai flight 1073, which encountered a cockpit fight, steep descents, and alternating distress codes. The Boeing 737 Max 8, carrying 174 passengers primarily from Israel to Tel Aviv, departed from Dubai airport at 03:05. At 05:21, the aircraft began its descent from 34,000 feet.

The most alarming moment occurred at 05:22:40 when the plane plummeted over half its height, reaching 16,600 feet. This precipitous drop was followed by an abrupt climb to 21,725 feet just three seconds later.

The tumultuous episode continued with another significant loss of altitude at 05:24:29, plummeting to 15,000 feet, the lowest point of the flight. The aircraft maintained this low altitude until it finally landed safely more than an hour later. The ordeal began with the captain, an Indian national, severely injured and recovering in a hospital, and the copilot, suspected to be Omani, under questioning.

The first distress signal, a general emergency code (Squawk 7700), was issued at 05:28 while the aircraft was flying along the Saudi-Jordanian border. This alert code persisted for nearly an hour, escalating to a more serious unlawful interference code (Squawk 7500) at 05:35. The aircraft then veered west, briefly entering Jordanian airspace before heading southwest towards Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

At 05:46, the pilot made a dramatic 180-degree turn and directed the aircraft towards Tabuk. This was followed by a renewed general emergency distress signal (Squawk 7700) at 06:28, signaling the resolution of the initial 'unlawful interference' alert. The aircraft finally approached Tabuk airport at 06:58, marking the end of the harrowing four-hour ordeal.