'You Saved Our Lives': Passengers Praise Stabbed Pilot Of Flydubai Flight FZ 1073 After Mid-Air Cockpit Attack

· Free Press Journal

A video recorded aboard a flydubai flight has surfaced showing passengers protecting and praising the injured pilot following a violent confrontation in the cockpit that triggered a brief hijack scare earlier in the day.

Flight FZ 1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when it issued a distress alert and altered its route after one pilot was reportedly stabbed by the other. Footage from inside the aircraft shows blood on the injured pilot's face and in parts of the cabin, while passengers appear to have surrounded him for protection.

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In the one-minute video, a passenger can be heard telling the injured pilot, "You saved the plane." Another traveller, who appears to have suffered an injury to his head, says in Hebrew, "They attacked us on this plane. They tried to murder the pilot. We overpowered him."

A passenger is also heard assuring others, "We are standing here. No one passes the pilot's door," while another points towards the alleged attacker and identifies him as the "one who stabbed" the other pilot.

Among the approximately 180 people on board were several off-duty pilots. They reportedly intervened during the incident and later helped bring the aircraft down safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

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Flydubai subsequently confirmed that the Dubai-Tel Aviv service had "experienced an incident while en route", adding that everyone on board was safe and accounted for.

The airline and authorities have not yet disclosed detailed information about the circumstances surrounding the incident. However, videos emerging from the aircraft appear to show a physical confrontation involving the two pilots inside the cockpit.

The situation also led to a significant change in the aircraft's flight path and altitude. Reports said the plane descended by approximately 17,400 feet within two minutes during the incident. Israeli media, citing flight-tracking information, reported that the aircraft initially transmitted emergency code 7700, which indicates a general emergency and was initially linked to fears of a possible hijacking.

FlyDubai FZ1073 Hijack Scare: Pilot Fight, Knife Attack, Blood-Stained Passenger And Emergency Landing — What We Know So Far

The hijack concerns prompted Israel to take precautionary measures, with fighter jets believed to have been scrambled to monitor the situation. The hijacking suspicion was subsequently ruled out.

According to flight-tracking platform Flightradar24, the aircraft later switched its transponder code to 7500, which is used to indicate unlawful interference with an aircraft. The platform published a timeline tracking the flight from its departure.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office later said the situation had been brought under control. It added that arrangements were being made to facilitate the return of Israeli passengers to Israel.

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