The story so far: On September 30, 2026, a flydubai Boeing 737-8 MAX flight, FZ 1073, had an in-flight incident while en route from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, Israel — a 2,100-kilometre-plus sector covered in three hours.
asserted
flight → cover → hours
The aircraft was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia and safely landed despite extensive damage to the aircraft.
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aircraft → divert → aircraft
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that one pilot stabbed the other and “apparently tried to crash the plane”.
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pilot → say → plane
Flydubai has announced the suspension of all flights to and from Israel.
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Flydubai → announce → Israel
An investigation has begun.
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investigation → begin → ?
What happened to the flight?
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What → happen → flight
Media reports have said that an altercation is alleged to have broken out between the two flight crew members, with one of the pilots being stabbed.
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one → say → pilots
Amid the commotion on the flight deck, the aircraft squawked a series of transponder codes that are used globally during an aviation emergency.
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that → squawk → emergency
In this instance, the codes (7700 and 7500) denoted an emergency (in the case of mechanical or technical problems) as well as trouble due to a hijack or ‘unlawful interference’.
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codes → denote → hijack
This may have prompted Saudi Arabia and Israel to scramble fighter jets.
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This → prompt → jets
The Boeing 737, which was flying at about 34,000 feet, made a sudden descent to about 19,000 feet before levelling off at about 15,000 feet.
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which → fly → feet
The incident happened about two and a half hours into the flight.
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incident → happen → flight
The jet, which was in Jordanian airspace for a short while, looped back to Saudi Arabia and landed at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk.
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which → loop → Tabuk
Pictures showed that the aircraft had substantial damage.
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aircraft → show → damage
An emergency descent can be controlled, but in this instance, where descent could have been initiated erratically, there can be severe damage and stress to the crucial flight control surfaces and even the aircraft's tail.
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descent → control → surfaces
Ground images from Tabuk showed damage to the rudder on the tail/vertical stabiliser of the aircraft — a large part of it was missing.
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part → show → it
Passengers are seen deboarding the aircraft using a step ladder from Saudi Ground Services (SGS) Company, the ground handling agency.
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Passengers → see → Company
The airport said that its Air Traffic Control centre had received a distress call from the flight requesting an emergency landing.
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centre → say → landing
The captain was Smit Machchhar, an Indian national and former SpiceJet pilot, recruited by Flydubai in 2022.
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captain → recruit → 2022
He is reported to be based in Dubai, with over a decade of commercial flying experience and more than 9,000 hours on the Boeing 737 aircraft.
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He → report → aircraft
Other reports identify the co-pilot as an Omani national.
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reports → identify → national
In a post on X, the Indian Embassy has said: “Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah have been following the health condition of Mr. Smit Machchhar...
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Embassy → say → Machchhar
He is admitted in a hospital in Tabuk city in northwest Saudi Arabia and is receiving necessary medical attention.
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He → admit → attention
A full update on his health is awaited, but he is reported to be in stable condition....
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he → await → condition
Media reports, eyewitness accounts and in-flight video clips have detailed how passengers were overtaken by the events, with chaos prevailing towards the front of the aircraft.
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chaos → detail → aircraft
Briefs by Reuters and the Times of Israel say that “after being stabbed and seriously wounded by the copilot, the Indian captain managed to click open the cockpit door, which allowed several Israelis to burst in and subdue the attacker”, attributing this to a spokesperson for Mr. Netanyahu.
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Israelis → say → Netanyahu
Other flydubai pilots, who were in the cabin, were able to intervene and carry out the safe landing in Saudi Arabia.
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who → intervene → Arabia
The reports also quote a Netanyahu spokesman, Doron Spielman, as saying that the captain, “who was bloodied and lying on the floor, had drawn on the last moments of his energy to click open the release on the cockpit door ...
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who → quote → door
At that moment, some of the passengers who realised something was happening raced forward, [and] entered the pilot’s cabin.
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something → realise → cabin
They saw the injured pilot on the ground, and the other… the attacking pilot was standing over the control panel, bashing the control panel.”
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pilot → see → panel
Reports quote passengers talking about a (pocket) knife having been used in the attack.
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knife → quote → attack
Other reports cite the flight deck crash axe as having been used in the confrontation.
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reports → cite → confrontation
A senior Boeing pilot has told The Hindu that the crash axe (a mandatory aircraft safety emergency tool for aircrew) is “normally stored near the pilot seats.
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axe → tell → seats
It is to be accessed quickly and is in plain sight.
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It → access → sight
It is used by the crew to breach the fuselage in an emergency and if there is structural deformation”.
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It → use → emergency
Some passengers and cabin crew are reported to have restored order, enabling the flydubai pilots in the passenger cabin to take over.
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passengers → report → cabin
A video clip with aviation sources — and shared with The Hindu — has shown both pilots on the cabin floor, bleeding profusely, with bloodstains on the cabin wall.
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clip → share → wall
One of the pilots can be seen in a blood-soaked shirt with epaulettes, while the other crew member can be seen with an oxygen mask.
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member → see → mask
Some passengers around the injured pilots can be seen asking for the filming to stop.
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filming → injure → pilots
On October 1, an All India Radio bulletin said that the “Saudi authorities have arrested the Omani co-pilot”.
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authorities → say → pilot
…and 29 more, not listed.
The Aporia
