A pilot tried to crash a plane bound for Israel after stabbing his coworker, Netanyahu says. Passengers intervened.

A Flydubai pilot tried to crash an Israel-bound flight after stabbing his coworker, Netanyahu says. Here's what we know.

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Pete Syme

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Will Martin

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One of the pilots on flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday has been arrested after stabbing his fellow pilot and attempting to crash the plane, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Around two hours into its journey, Flydubai FZ1073 dropped from its cruising altitude of 34,000 feet to 17,000 feet above sea level in just two minutes, flight-tracking data showed.

10 minutes later, the airplane squawked 7700, indicating a general emergency. It then changed the code to 7500, which indicates "unlawful interference" with the flight, and is the code used by pilots to alert authorities of attempted hijackings.

Soon after the incident, unverified reports circulated that the pilot had attempted to crash the plane, with footage purportedly from the flight shared widely on social media.

Around 5 p.m. local time, Netanyahu released a statement clarifying what happened on flight FZ1073.

"During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the second pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board," Netanyahu said in Hebrew in a video statement, according to a translation supplied by his office.

He added that a passenger told him he entered the cockpit with a crew member and that, "together they neutralized the stabbing pilot while he was trying to sabotage the plane's systems," and that other pilots onboard stabilized and landed the plane.

"I salute these heroes, who displayed exceptional resourcefulness and courage," Netanyahu said. "They saved many lives. They prevented a huge disaster."

A Flydubai spokesperson said in a statement that "an altercation occurred in the flight deck."

"The aircraft was successfully secured by on-duty Flydubai crew traveling on the flight," they added. "All passengers and crew are safe and accounted for."

Yasmin Abukasis, who said her daughter was on the flight, spoke to reporters at Ben Gurion Airport and told Reuters that her daughter said someone "tried to kill the pilot."

"It's very hard to explain what's happened, but it was a big stress," she added in an interview with the BBC.

The flight, which took off from Dubai just after 7 a.m. local time, was scheduled to land at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport about three hours later.

After the incident, it diverted to Tabuk, a city in northern Saudi Arabia, about 270 miles from Tel Aviv.

Flydubai said it sent two replacement aircraft to bring the passengers and crew back from Tabuk.

Cluster2, which operates Tabuk's airport, said in a statement that both the flight's pilots were injured and taken to the hospital, but did not provide information on the nature of their injuries.

Netanyahu also said he had instructed security agencies to prepare for other potential threats.

"At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation," the Flydubai spokesperson said.

"We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts."

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Pete Syme

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Pete Syme is an aviation reporter for Business Insider, based in London.He writes about all things related to the industry, from aviation safety and CEO interviews to route reveals and airplane tours. Pete also uses data for industry analyses and to visualize breaking news events.Before joining Business Insider in 2022, he graduated with an MA in Newspaper Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English from the University of Exeter.

Will Martin

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Will Martin is a senior business editor with 10 years of experience in various roles at Business Insider. He works with a team of reporters and editors to cover everything business, with a special focus on consulting, financial markets, and the aviation industry.Prior to working on the business news team, Will led Insider's sports coverage in the company's London bureau, publishing award-nominated work on alleged gang involvement in elite boxing, deeply-reported features on a civil war in Olympic sport modern pentathlon, and profiles of some of the biggest rising-stars in soccer.Before joining the sports team, Will spent a year as an associate editor on Insider's global news team. Before that, Will worked as a markets and economics reporter for Business Insider for more than three years.During his time with the news team, Will assigned and edited reporting and features on everything from the Boeing 737 Max crisis, to the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China, to global geopolitics, and even a Barack Obama-themed service station in Ireland.He also personally reported on allegations of illegal mass human organ harvesting in China.Prior to working for Insider, Will earned a BA in International Relations from the University of Exeter and an MA in Financial Journalism from City, University of London.

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