Israel says pilot tried to hijack flydubai flight; jet dropped 17,400 feet in 2 minutes

A flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv flight (FZ1073) was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after Israeli officials said a hijacking attempt by one of the pilots led to a violent mid-air altercation that triggered emergency signals. The aircraft, carrying around 180 passengers, eventually landed at Saudi Arabia's Tabuk airport after a second team of pilots who were on board took over and carried out the emergency landing.

Israel said the incident might have been an attempted "terror attack". Israeli officials told Reuters that the co-pilot, an Omani national, was believed to have stabbed the captain before cabin crew and other passengers entered the cockpit and subdued him. The captain is believed to be of Indian origin, according to Israel's Ynet news.

The officials said the co-pilot attempted to hijack the plane with the intention of crashing it.

FLYDUBAI JET DROPPED 17,400 FEET

Nearly two hours after taking off from Saudi Arabia, the flight initially transmitted squawk code '7700', the standard international signal for a general emergency. Seconds later, it transmitted the code '7500', which indicates suspected unlawful interference with an aircraft, including possible hijacking.

Code '7500' indicates "unlawful interference" with an aircraft, including a possible hijacking. However, the signal alone does not establish what happened aboard the flight.

Flight tracking data showed that the aircraft crossed into Jordanian airspace, made a U-turn shortly and headed back towards Saudi Arabia. There was also a sudden drop in the flight's altitude, with reports indicating that the jet lost 17,400 feet in a span of around two minutes.

The SOS sparked panic in Israel, with Tel Aviv scrambling fighter jets to escort the aircraft. The Israeli airspace was also briefly closed.

Israeli officials suggested that the emergency signals might have been transmitted after the pilots got into a physical altercation.

Both the pilots were rushed to the hospital

PANIC, FEAR AND THE FLYDUBAI HORROR

A passenger, Miriam, said she heard screaming from the cockpit. When the cabin door was opened, she saw one of the pilots lying injured, with "blood everywhere".

A photo purportedly taken from inside the plane appeared to show a passenger's blood-soaked shirt. Another footage showed passengers tending to the injured captain near the cockpit.

It was the quick and courageous act by some passengers that eventually helped avert a major crisis. Among them was Yitzhak Lieber, who helped overpower the co-pilot.

"The pilot was seriously injured. We overpowered the terrorist, and he is tied up. You have a heroic dad," Lieber said in a video message to his children.

Notably, the incident happened just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a possible attack during Israel's October elections.