Last Updated on September 30, 2026 by YeJahan
YEJAHAN REPORT
RIYADH (Sept 30): A flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv went into a terrifying mid-air dive after a madman co-pilot tried to stab the pilot and attempted to crash the aircraft, but timely intervention of the passengers averted the tragedy.
The Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, carrying more than 170 passengers, was forced to make an emergency landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following what was initially reported as a cockpit brawl.
Passengers, the majority of whom are Israeli citizens, helped crew members storm the cockpit to neutralise the attacker as the Boeing 737 began spinning out of control.
In a video address, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu details the mid-air horror: “During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot. Apparently, he tried to crash the plane with its occupants.”
“This morning, there was a serious security incident on a flight from Dubai to Israel. Almost all the passengers on the flight were Israelis. 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,” he said.
He added that he had spoken directly with an Israeli passenger who recounted the moment the aircraft plunged. “He told me that the plane went into a spin and began to dive. He told me that somehow he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members and together they neutralised the stabbing pilot while he was trying to sabotage the aircraft’s systems.”
WATCH: Moment the FLYDUBAI plane landed in Saudi Arabia safely pic.twitter.com/yDPuXgNlWb
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 30, 2026
The mid-air crisis triggered panic on the ground. Flight tracking data showed the aircraft transmitted an emergency signal indicating “unlawful interference”, sparking immediate fears of a hijacking and prompting Israeli authorities to scramble fighter jets. A second general emergency signal was sent shortly before the aircraft touched down safely in Saudi Arabia.
Both the pilot and co-pilot were taken to hospital upon landing. Saudi authorities have arrested the attacking pilot and are currently interrogating him.
The incident caused wider disruption to regional aviation, as immediately after the incident, a second Israel-bound Flydubai flight was also diverted mid-air and turned back to Dubai as a precautionary measure.
Efforts to return the stranded passengers to Israel have been complicated by diplomatic sensitivities. Saudi Arabia does not share official diplomatic relations with Israel and refused to allow Israeli military or civilian aircraft into its airspace to recover the citizens.
Instead, Flydubai dispatched a substitute aircraft to Tabuk to collect the passengers. While the majority have boarded the replacement flight, relatives waiting at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv confirmed that three families have refused to board, insisting they will only fly home on an Israeli carrier.
Copyright YeJahan News Network, 2026
