On September 30, a Flydubai airline plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia due to a conflict between the pilots. According to initial reports, the co-pilot stabbed the captain several times and then attempted to crash the plane. Passengers on the flight helped to neutralize him.
Flydubai flight gave alarm signals
Modern.az reports that, according to "The Jerusalem Post" newspaper, the crew initially activated code 7700, which is used to indicate a general emergency. Later, tracking systems recorded code 7500. This code is used when there is suspicion of illegal interference with the aircraft's operation, including a possible hijacking.
There were approximately 180 people on board the plane. After the signals were transmitted, the aircraft changed its direction at the border of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. According to CNN, the plane descended from 10.3 thousand meters to 5 thousand meters (from 34 thousand feet to approximately 16.6 thousand feet) in just over two minutes. Communication with the aircraft was temporarily lost.
Israeli authorities assessed the situation as a potential security threat. Israeli Air Force fighters were scrambled, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations with representatives of the security forces. The country's police established a special operational headquarters for coordination of actions.
Emergency landing in Tabuk
After communication with the crew was restored, the plane continued its flight towards Saudi Arabia. The airliner landed at the airport in the city of Tabuk. According to initial reports, no threat to passenger safety was identified after the landing.
Flydubai announced that a conflict occurred between the pilots in the cockpit during the flight, after which one of the crew members lost consciousness. However, the company continued to investigate all the details of the incident.
After the landing, the airline began preparing a special flight that was to transport passengers from Saudi Arabia to Israel. According to the Ynet portal, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz also instructed to send military rescue planes to Saudi Arabia to repatriate Israeli citizens.
Conflict in the pilots' cabin
According to Israel's "Channel 12" television channel, the alarm signals may have been caused by a fight between the pilots. The media reported that one of the pilots was of Russian origin and the other of Ukrainian origin. According to another version, the pilot who started the conflict was an Omani citizen, and his colleague was a UAE citizen.
According to reports, during the conflict, one of the pilots attempted to attack the other with a knife. Passengers and other crew members were able to intervene and take control of the situation. According to the Ynet portal, the Omani pilot intended to crash the plane, while his colleague took control with the help of passengers. It is reported that Israeli authorities are considering the version of a terrorist act.
According to Israel's "Walla" portal, one of the pilots died as a result of knife wounds.
One of the passengers spoke about what happened to an Israeli television channel. According to him, passengers heard screams, and then reported that the pilots' cabin was open and they saw blood inside. He said that passengers helped the crew stop the conflict, after which the plane landed.
Flydubai passengers' statements - what did witnesses say?
According to the passengers of the flight, after the conflict started in the cabin, many people did not understand what was happening and feared for their lives.
"We heard screams on the plane. Then the pilots' cabin opened, we saw blood, and it turned out that someone had stabbed the pilot with a folding knife. Israeli passengers, together with the crew on the plane, neutralized the attacker, and we made an emergency landing. There were moments when we thought we wouldn't get out of here alive," "Channel 12" quoted one of the passengers as saying.
The first photo taken from the flight shows one of the passengers' shirts covered in blood. Witnesses also reported seeing blood everywhere in the pilots' cabin.
According to another passenger, the plane shook violently, and people screamed in horror, thinking the plane would crash.
A.Gorkhmaz
