Plunged 14,000 feet in 29 secs: How stabbed Indian pilot averted flydubai crash
A routine morning flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into a mid-air emergency on Wednesday. The flydubai stabbing, as Israeli officials describe it, saw one pilot allegedly attack the other and apparently try to crash a plane carrying 174 people. The jet made an emergency landing in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia, but not before plunging thousands of feet in less than half a minute.
What happened on flydubai Flight FZ1073?
Flight FZ1073 was nearing Israel when the trouble began. Details of the incident remain foggy, pending an official investigation. However, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted by CBS News as saying that as the plane approached its destination, one pilot stabbed the other and apparently tried to crash the aircraft with everyone on board. The cause of the fight is still unknown.
Flydubai FZ1073: From Dubai to an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia
A Tel Aviv-bound flight lost half its altitude in about a minute, sent emergency codes and diverted to Tabuk after what Israeli officials describe as an attack in the cockpit.
Flydubai FZ1073: What happened mid-air?
The flight, step by step. Times and altitudes are from Flightradar24 data.
The airline’s own account was brief. Without confirming this version of events, Flydubai said an “altercation” broke out on the flight deck, after which the crew secured the aircraft and diverted to Tabuk.
✓ Ryan Mitchell
A routine morning flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into a mid-air emergency on Wednesday. The flydubai stabbing, as Israeli officials describe it, saw one pilot…