Journalism of Courage
Videos filmed by passengers aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 have emerged showing the aftermath of a “violent incident” in the cockpit that forced the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight to divert to Saudi Arabia.
In one video, a bloodied passenger speaks straight into the camera as the plane approaches Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. “We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane,” he says. “At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help.”
He then says the plane is landing in “Tabuk, apparently in Saudi Arabia”, a place he describes as unfamiliar. Everybody on board is safe “other than the pilot”, he says, and he asks for help again. Israel’s Channel 13 published the video and Israeli media circulated it.
flydubai FZ1073 · September 30, 2026
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.
Investigation ongoingFlydubai FZ1073: What happened mid-air?
The flight, step by step. Times and altitudes are from Flightradar24 data.
Altitude
03:05 GMT · Dubai
FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, takes off for Tel Aviv with about 170 people on board.
About 2 hr 15 min into the flight Alleged
A confrontation breaks out in the cockpit. Israeli officials say the co-pilot stabbed the captain.
05:21 GMT · 34,000 ft → ~16,600 ft
Flight-tracking data shows the jet losing about half its altitude in roughly a minute.
05:28 and 05:35 GMT
The transponder shows 7700, a general emergency, then 7500, unlawful interference.
Israel
Fearing a possible hijacking, Israel scrambles fighter jets.
Cockpit Attributed
The injured captain opens the cockpit door so others can get in, Israeli PM Netanyahu said.
Passengers and crew Attributed
A passenger and crew members enter the cockpit and overpower the attacker, according to Netanyahu and passengers.
Towards Saudi Arabia
On-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight secure the plane and divert it to Tabuk, the airline says.
About 07:00 GMT · Tabuk
The aircraft lands safely. Passengers are safe; both pilots are taken to hospital.
Route is approximate. Cockpit events are based on accounts from Israeli officials, flydubai and passengers; their exact timing has not been made public.
India link: the injured captain, Smit Machchhar, is an Indian national, i24NEWS and Israel Hayom report. He is in a stable condition after surgery in Saudi Arabia, according to i24NEWS.
Inside the flydubai cockpit: What we know
The least clear part of the story, in sequence
Cockpit confrontation
A fight breaks out between the two pilots
One pilot allegedly stabs the other
Israeli officials say the co-pilot stabbed the captain
Attempt to take control
Netanyahu says the attacker “apparently tried to crash the plane”
Injured pilot opens the cockpit door
The wounded captain lets others in, Netanyahu said
A passenger and crew member enter
A passenger says a relief pilot called for help and others followed
Attacker subdued
Passengers and crew overpower him
Other crew regain control
flydubai: on-duty crew travelling on the flight secured the plane
Based on accounts from Israeli officials and passengers; investigation ongoing. flydubai says the reasons and motives “remain unknown and are subject to a formal investigation”.
Why did Israel scramble fighter jets?
What Israeli authorities could see from the ground
Israeli officials later said the incident involved an alleged attack by one pilot on the other. Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and “apparently tried to crash the plane”. The investigation is ongoing.
‘We need help’: What passengers saw aboard Flydubai FZ1073
In passengers’ own words. Their accounts have not been independently verified.
A bloodied passenger
“We are in the middle of a plane hijacking. At the moment, we have subdued the terrorists and we are preparing to land… We need help.”
Passenger video, as reported by Ynet
Passengers rush the cockpit
“A few of us just jumped in and pulled him out of the cockpit. Everything is OK now.”
Passenger, as reported by Ynet
An injured pilot
“Everyone on the plane is safe and well except for the pilot.”
Passenger, as reported by Ynet
Crew and passengers restrain the attacker
“He called for help, and two others and I entered the cockpit and subdued the terrorist. I’m covered in blood.”
Zvika Manes, passenger, to Ynet
Passengers stay on board after landing
Passengers remained on the plane after it landed in Tabuk.
Euronews
Saudi security surrounds the aircraft
A heavy Saudi security presence surrounded the plane.
Euronews
The numbers behind the flydubai emergency
Each figure with its source
Some reports give the drop as 33,000 ft to 17,000 ft. Flightradar24 data shows 34,000 ft to as low as 16,600 ft.
Sources: flydubai, Flightradar24, Reuters, Newsweek, AeroTime, Euronews, Ynet, i24NEWS, Israel Hayom, Unilad Tech (Flightradar24 data). Map: Natural Earth.
His words “hijacking” and “terrorists” reflect what he believed was happening on board. They do not, by themselves, show the motive or identity of the person involved.
Other footage from the plane reportedly shows passengers dealing with the aftermath, including an injured pilot and another crew member being restrained. One clip shared by Hebrew media shows passengers clapping as the plane touched down. A photo shows a passenger in a blood-stained shirt; Reuters said it could not verify it.
Other passengers have since told what they lived through. One of them, Miriam, told Israel’s i24 channel, as cited by CNN: “We just heard screams, and then the cockpit door opened and we saw a huge amount of blood.” She said the plane was “completely out of control”. “There were moments when all of us here were certain we weren’t going to make it out alive,” she said.
Miriam said one of the pilots was hurt and getting first aid, but it was not clear who stabbed the pilot. An Israeli official told CNN that information gathered so far suggests the co-pilot tried to stab the pilot and a passenger helped to take him down. There has been no official confirmation of what happened on board.
flydubai FZ1073 · September 30, 2026
Flight-tracking data shows the Tel Aviv-bound jet dropping from 34,000 ft to about 16,600 ft in roughly a minute.
Time (GMT)
Altitude
What the data showsCruise at 34,000 ft; the drop starts at 05:21 GMT; a sharp climb and another descent follow; the jet settles around 15,000 ft by 05:33. The 7700 emergency code appears at 05:28 and 7500 at 05:35.
What is not yet knownThe exact altitudes of the climb and second descent have not been published. Israeli officials link the plunge to an alleged attack in the cockpit; flydubai says the investigation is ongoing.
Sources: Flightradar24; Unilad Tech (Flightradar24 data); flydubai; Israeli officials via Reuters. Chart not to scale in time: the minute of the drop is enlarged.
The aircraft also descended sharply from around 34,000 feet to approximately 16,600 feet in just over two minutes. Flightradar24 data shared online showed its ground speed briefly exceeding 590 knots during the emergency.
Israeli media reports say the co-pilot tried to crash the plane and that passengers overpowered him. Some reports say he is an Omani national who had worked for the airline for a year. These details are not confirmed by officials. The Times of Israel said a second man was seen tied up in a video.
Cockpit footage shows passengers covered in the blood of the pilot, who it says was stabbed by his co-pilot in an attempt to hijack and crash the plane. It also says pilots in civilian clothes, travelling as passengers, overpowered the attacker, landed the plane in Saudi Arabia and helped the crew give first aid. No official, the airline or Saudi authorities have confirmed these details.
An Israeli official told Reuters the pilots sent the emergency signals after a physical fight with each other. Another Israeli official told the AP that Israel believes the incident may have been an attempt to attack Israelis. The investigation is still going on.
Other footage from the aircraft reportedly shows passengers dealing with the aftermath of the cockpit confrontation, including an injured pilot and another crew member being restrained.
The videos emerged as accounts of what happened inside the aircraft changed during the day.
The shaky handheld footage shows passengers shifting in their seats, people moving through the aisles and visible distress inside the cabin as the situation unfolded.
Initially, Israeli officials said the emergency appeared to have resulted from a physical altercation between the pilots rather than a hijacking. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said the incident was not believed to be a hijacking.
But later, two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was increasingly assessing the incident as a possible attempted “terror attack”. Reuters reported that the co-pilot was believed to have stabbed the captain before cabin crew entered the cockpit and took control of the plane.
The Boeing 737 was travelling from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv when it transmitted emergency signals.
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft first transmitted 7700, the international code for a general emergency. Several minutes later, it transmitted 7500, the code for unlawful interference with an aircraft and one commonly associated with a hijacking. The aircraft subsequently turned towards Saudi Arabia and landed at Tabuk.
The flight also experienced a sharp descent. Flightradar24 data showed the aircraft dropping by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before the first emergency signal.
The emergency signals prompted Israel to scramble fighter jets and triggered consultations involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli security officials.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said the incident shows Israel must step up its military campaigns in the region. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said anyone who tried to bring down a plane with 180 Israelis on board should pay for it. The Times of Israel noted there is no sign so far that any group or state directed the incident.
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz said it was too early to know the sequence of events, and praised the passengers’ “resourcefulness and courage”. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said nothing like this was mentioned in the security briefing given by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The number of people on board differs between reports: about 180 in the Times of Israel, about 150 in Reuters and “dozens” in the AP.
The cause of the fight has not been confirmed. A regional official told the AP the fight seemed to involve the pilots, and that the crew had been questioned. The official did not say if anyone was held. Reuters said it was not clear if either pilot sent the emergency signals on purpose.
The AP noted that cockpit fights are rare. In 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after a fight on a Geneva–Paris flight, though that plane landed as planned.
