Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said a pilot tried to seize control of a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, stabbing the other pilot and forcing those aboard to retake the cockpit and land the plane in Saudi Arabia.
According to Mr. Netanyahu, one of the pilots attacked the other midair in a possible attempt to crash the plane, FlyDubai flight FZ1073. He said a passenger and member of the crew broke into the cockpit to “neutralize” the pilot-assailant, while another crew member stabilized the plane. The flight suddenly plunged thousands of feet and made an emergency landing at an airport in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Israeli officials said the plane was carrying between 160 and 180 passengers. FlyDubai said the passengers were all safe and accounted for. The flight’s pilot and co-pilot were treated in hospital for injuries, according to the airport in Tubuk. The Saudi authorities arrested the suspected assailant, Mr. Netanyahu said.
Much of what happened aboard the flight remained unclear, including the cause of the sudden altitude loss and any possible motive.
What happened?
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Mr. Netanyahu said in a video statement that one of the pilots aboard the FlyDubai flight “stabbed the other pilot and apparently tried to crash the plane,” in what appears to have been a failed attempted hijacking. Other crew members and a passenger retook control of the cockpit and landed the plane in Tabuk, Mr. Netanyahu said.
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FlyDubai flight FZ1073 plunged dramatically as it was flying over Saudi Arabia near the border with Jordan at around 8:20 a.m. local time on Wednesday morning, according to testimony from passengers and data from FlightRadar24, a flight tracking service. The flight had taken off from Dubai a little over two hours earlier.
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Officials have not publicly shared any information about the assailant’s possible motive. According to two Israeli security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with government protocol, the Israeli authorities are investigating the possibility that the altercation was an attempted attack on Israelis, among other lines of inquiry.
What have passengers said?
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Passengers described a scene of chaos in the cabin as the aircraft lost altitude, fearing that the plane, a Boeing 737 Max 8, could crash. The aircraft dropped by around 15,000 feet in two minutes, according to FlightRadar24.
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According to accounts from passengers, the fight that broke out in the cockpit left at least one pilot seriously injured. Those aboard the flight said passengers intervened to subdue the assailant.
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A graphic social media video verified by The New York Times showed three men tending to two injured men on the floor of the cabin, both of whom appeared to be bleeding, while another bloodied man asks for help. At least one of the injured men on the floor wore what appeared to be a FlyDubai pilot uniform.
What have the aviation authorities said?
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FlyDubai said that crew members who were on duty on the flight secured the aircraft. According to the airport in Tubuk, the flight made an emergency landing at 9:45 a.m. local time.
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The pilot and co-pilot were treated in hospital for injuries, the airport said, but it did not provide further details.
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The airline said it had sent two replacement aircraft to Tabuk to collect the passengers and crew and transport them to Tel Aviv.
The post What to Know About FlyDubai Flight Diverted After Clash Between Pilots appeared first on New York Times.
