What was first reported as a midair “brawl” aboard a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv quickly turned into something far more terrifying: an alleged attempt by the copilot to seize control of the Boeing 737 and crash it with more than 170 people aboard.
Flydubai Flight FZ1073 was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv Wednesday when violence erupted inside the cockpit. According to Israeli officials and passenger accounts, the copilot attacked and stabbed the captain as the aircraft suddenly plunged nearly 14,000 feet. The plane transmitted an emergency signal, including the transponder code used for unlawful interference with an aircraft. Reuters
Passengers had little idea what was happening.
They knew something was badly wrong.
The aircraft was dropping. There was screaming. And then there was blood.
According to Reuters, the wounded captain managed to unlock the cockpit door before collapsing, allowing others aboard to intervene. Passengers and crew members reportedly subdued the copilot while a reserve flight crew aboard the aircraft took control. The plane eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
Israeli officials initially described the incident as a possible attempted hijacking and investigated it as a potential terrorist attack. Defense Minister Israel Katz praised the passengers who intervened, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker apparently intended to crash the aircraft. The precise motive, however, remained under investigation Wednesday, and Flydubai cautioned against drawing conclusions before authorities completed their inquiry. Reuters
The suspected attacker was identified by Israeli officials as an Omani national and was arrested by Saudi authorities. The injured captain was identified as Indian national Smit Machchhar. Both pilots were hospitalized. The Indian Express
The most extraordinary part of the story may be what happened after the cockpit door opened.
Passengers did not simply wait for the aircraft to fall.
They fought back.
Accounts from those aboard describe passengers rushing forward and helping restrain the attacker while the remaining crew scrambled to regain control of the jet. One passenger later described the experience simply: “I’m traumatized.” Jerusalem Post
There was another remarkable stroke of luck. Other Flydubai pilots were traveling aboard FZ1073 and were available to help bring the aircraft under control and land it. The Jerusalem Post reported that four Flydubai pilots were aboard when the crisis began. Jerusalem Post
The emergency landing then created an unusual diplomatic problem.
The passengers were now stranded in Saudi Arabia, a country with no formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Israel prepared military aircraft to retrieve them, but Saudi Arabia declined to permit the Israeli planes to land, according to Reuters. Flydubai instead arranged another aircraft to carry the passengers onward. Reuters
Some passengers initially did not want to get back on another Flydubai plane. A rescue flight ultimately departed Saudi Arabia and landed safely at Ben Gurion Airport. Jerusalem Post
The incident is already producing consequences beyond FZ1073. Israel announced plans to increase security screening of pilots flying into the country, while Flydubai temporarily suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv as the investigation continued. Reuters
There are still major unanswered questions, particularly the attacker’s motive and how a weapon became available inside the cockpit. What is considerably clearer is how close the flight came to catastrophe.
A captain was stabbed. A passenger jet plunged thousands of feet. Blood was spilled inside the cockpit.
And the people aboard fought to keep the plane in the sky.