Passengers scream as flydubai jet nosedives amid hijacking fears

Were you on board that flydubai plane? Send an email to [email protected]. New video footage shows passengers screaming in terror as the aircraft nosedived during what officials fear was a hijacking attempt.

People on flight FZ1073 say they believe the pilot tried to crash the jet from Dubai to Tel Aviv after allegedly stabbing his co-pilot. The plane diverted over Jordanian airspace toward Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. It sent out a general emergency signal followed by another warning of unlawful interference. Officials worried this could become another 'September 11' attack.

Footage taken on the flight this morning captures children and adults crying as the plane seemed to veer downwards. Turbulence noise grew louder while cabin furnishings rattled violently. One woman crouched in the aisle. Others put their heads between their legs in the brace position. Another clip showed passengers panicking. A handful moved toward the front to investigate, and panicked screams filled the cabin. A crew member told everyone to stay seated and fasten seatbelts.

Screams erupted after a group of travelers headed for the cockpit. The terror happened on flight FZ1073 today. Graphic video filmed by passengers shows a wounded pilot lying on the floor while others tend to him. One woman kept asking, 'What's happened? What's happening?'

Dramatic clips from moments after the alleged attack show a crewmember covered in blood outside the cockpit as passengers helped him. A second crew member sat beside him, seemingly unconscious and also covered in blood. One passenger recorded video with blood on his face, emerging from a gash stretching from his forehead down to his nose. He said: 'We're here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point we've subdued the terrorists, we're approaching landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help. We're landing in Tabuk, apparently in Saudi Arabia. An unknown, unfamiliar area. On the plane, everybody is safe and sound, other than the pilot. We need help.'

A 'major disaster was narrowly avoided', an Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post. Holidaymakers on board managed to subdue the pilot by tying him up. Israel closed its airspace and scrambled warplanes over fears the jet had been hijacked. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency security meeting with Defence Minister Israel Katz. The PM announced that the pilot who stabbed his co-pilot has now been arrested and is currently being questioned by Saudi authorities.

He added: 'During the flight, as they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and, apparently, tried to crash the plane with its passengers on board. I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane went into a spin and began to descend. He told me that, somehow, he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members and, together, they overpowered the pilot who had carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems. Another air crew who was on the plane entered the cockpit and managed to stabilise the aircraft.'

One passenger on the Flydubai aircraft can be seen with blood on his shirt. 'I salute these heroes who demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and courage,' the Prime Minister said. The incident highlights how quickly things can turn deadly when limited, privileged access to information fails to prevent a tragedy. Communities face real risks when hijacking attempts threaten thousands of lives in mid-air.

They saved many lives and prevented a major disaster." Data from Flightradar24 shows the jet rapidly losing altitude over Saudi Arabia, just two hours after take-off. It descended more than 17,000ft in less than two minutes shortly after 05:21 UTC. That time was 06:21 BST for those watching on British clocks. The aircraft recovered slightly for several seconds, reaching 21,650ft before dropping sharply again to under 14,000ft. Over the next hour, the plane failed to maintain a steady altitude but remained at around 15,000ft. This indicated it was being controlled by hand rather than autopilot, according to The Times of Israel.

The plane initially transmitted squawk code 7700, indicating a general emergency before switching to 7500, which signals unlawful interference. It later reverted to the initial code. A regional official briefed on the incident said a fight broke out in the cockpit and apparently involved pilots, but added it wasn't immediately clear what had caused the dispute. Israeli authorities were unable to make contact with the jet during the incident. The growing consensus among the Israeli security establishment, including the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Mossad, and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), is that the incident was intended as an act of terror.

Passengers on the plane told Israel's Channel 12 that they heard shouts from others at the front of the jet who overheard the violent altercation. According to witnesses, two pilots who were at the back of the jet came forward to help land it. One passenger said she shouted at them to run and take control of the plane. As the other pilots took control of the aircraft, passengers ran towards the man who had a knife. Another passenger on the Boeing 737 MAX told Israel's Channel 12 that they heard screams on the plane before opening the cockpit door. They saw blood there because someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocketknife. She described how the Israeli passengers helped restrain an attacker along with members of the crew while they prayed, Shema Yisrael. Another passenger can be seen with blood over his face emerging from a gash that stretches from his forehead down to his nose. There were also moments when we thought we weren't going to make it out alive.

Another woman identifying herself as Noam told the network in a call about the terrifying experience. Screams began on the plane by passengers who realized what was happening inside. They understand that one of the pilots was stabbed and seriously wounded, causing them to lose control of the plane. It started to dive quickly which made it very scary for everyone aboard. One passenger named Itzhak Liber recorded a video addressed to his family before uploading it onto Facebook. He said they took control of the situation here on the flight during that chaotic moment. There was an attacker with a knife who stabbed one of the pilots while he worked at the controls. They just jumped on him and restrained him together with the pilot until help arrived. He said the attacker had been neutralized, was seriously injured, and had been tied up by the brave crew members. Zvika Manes, a passenger on the plane with his wife and daughter, said the incident was incredibly traumatic for his whole family. He heard shouting and screams as his daughter was in the bathroom while his wife was near the cockpit door. Mr Manes said he went in to help subdue the attacker but ended up covered in blood from the struggle.

It was crazy." That is how one passenger described the chaos to Channel 12, claiming her husband helped neutralize a terrorist. Meital, the woman speaking, says a crew member in the cockpit tried to crash the plane before passengers subdued him. "Someone shouted stabbing and my husband immediately understood what was happening and rushed to the front of the plane," she explained. He joined other Israelis who stopped the attacker. "There were stabbings and a lot of blood," Meital added, her voice trembling under terrible stress. She admitted it is very difficult for her to talk right now.

Passengers told Israel's Channel 12 they heard shouts from people at the front of the jet regarding an altercation between pilots. The aircraft dipped steeply before landing in Saudi Arabia. The drop was drastic: the jet fell from 30,875 feet to 16,750 feet in just 29 seconds. A second team of pilots wearing civilian clothes allegedly prevented one pilot from taking over and crashing the jet, according to reports.

Flydubai stated a second plane had been sent to Tabuk Airport to pick up stranded passengers. Yet Israeli media reported some travelers are refusing that offer, demanding an Israeli carrier instead. A senior Israeli official told the channel that without those pilots on board, the incident could have ended like another September 11 attack or the 1976 Entebbe hostage crisis. Another official confirmed Israel scrambled warplanes fearing a hijacking of a plane carrying dozens of its citizens.

Not long after the event, the plane landed in Tabuk, a civilian and military base in the kingdom, with 180 people on board. Mr Netanyahu has warned recently about unspecified, escalated security threats. Both officials spoke anonymously because the incident remains under investigation. The airline is sending another aircraft to Tabuk Airport now. Photographs show the Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX sustained damage to the rudder on the rear of the aircraft; a section of the rudder is missing from the vertical stabilizer.

Mr Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir were considering dispatching Israeli military or civilian aircraft to bring Israelis home, Walla learned. Israel has not experienced a hijacking in decades but maintains some of the strictest airport security in the world. Commercial flights have flown between Israel and the United Arab Emirates since ties normalized in 2020. A Flydubai spokesperson told the Daily Mail: "Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on September 30 experienced an incident while en route." The aircraft landed safely in Tabuk Airport and all passengers are safe and accounted for. Their teams work closely with relevant authorities, noting further updates will come as details become available.