Stories
Flydubai Flight FZ1073 Scare: Pilot Brawl, Blood in Cockpit, Hijack Alert
- •Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv triggered a mid-air security scare, transmitting emergency and hijack codes.
- •The aircraft abruptly changed course over Saudi Arabia and experienced dramatic altitude changes, plunging from 34,000 to 17,000 feet.
- •Israeli fighter jets were scrambled amid fears of a hijacking, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding emergency consultations.
- •Passengers reported screams, blood, and a sudden dive, with some alleging a pilot was stabbed with a pocketknife.
- •The incident was later confirmed not to be a hijacking but a violent physical altercation between the two pilots in the cockpit.
Key Questions Answered
The mid-air security scare was triggered by a violent physical altercation between the two pilots inside the cockpit. Although the aircraft briefly transmitted the international hijacking code 7500 and descended rapidly, Israeli and security officials later confirmed it was not a hijacking and that the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft transmitted the unlawful-interference code 7500 during the confrontation between the pilots, alongside general emergency code 7700. It remains under investigation whether the code was intentionally sent by a pilot or triggered during the cockpit struggle.
The Boeing 737 diverted from its planned route to Tel Aviv and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Because Israel and Saudi Arabia lack formal diplomatic relations, Flydubai arranged another aircraft to fly the stranded passengers onward to Tel Aviv.
