flydubai Boeing 737 MAX lands without rudder after pilot stabbing

A flydubai flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv was forced to divert after a disruption on board. Passengers later told Israeli media that a pilot was stabbed mid-flight.

According to reports, one pilot stabbed another with a knife with the intent of either hijacking the aircraft or crashing it.

Pilots had begun using emergency squawk codes around two and a half hours into the flight. At one point, the aircraft descended 17,000 feet in two minutes, before recovering altitude and securing an emergency landing site.

The flight landed safely, although without a part of its rudder, in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where crew and passengers are being treated for injuries.

flydubai FZ1073 ends in an emergency landing

flydubai flight FZ1073 is a regularly scheduled service from Dubai (DXB) to Tel Aviv (TLV), departing at 06:45 and with a scheduled time of arrival in TLV of 09:10.

Today’s service took off around 20 minutes late, departing DXB at 07:05. At around three hours into the trip, everything was proceeding normally when the plane took a sudden, sharp turn to the right.

The flight began a steep descent, with Flightradar24 data showing it plummeted more than 17,000 feet in around two minutes. It levelled out at 15,000 feet, and its altitude continued to fluctuate during the remainder of the flight.

The aircraft began squawking 7700, the internationally standardised code for a general emergency, soon after it recovered its altitude. This squawk code switched to 7500 a few minutes later – another standardised code, but this one meaning unlawful interference, including hijacking.

The aircraft switched back to 7700 as it approached Tabuk, and landed safely at the airport at around 07:00 UTC.

Boeing 737 MAX 8 sustains serious damage during rapid descent

Photos shared on social media show part of the rear elevator missing on the aircraft parked at the airport in Saudi Arabia. The missing part appears to be a section of rear rudder, which could have made landing and controlling the aircraft tricky.

🔴 Incident vol Flydubai entre Dubaï et Tel Aviv.

Le Boeing 737 MAX 8 a été gravement endommagé lors de sa descente rapide au moment de l’attaque.

Selon une analyse des données de vol, les passagers du vol flydubai FZ1073 auraient subi une phase de quasi-apesanteur (environ 0… pic.twitter.com/wywMCQKcKQ

— air plus news (@airplusnews) September 30, 2026

Analysts suggest passengers on the flight would have experienced almost zero gravity for around 15 to 25 seconds as the plane dropped rapidly.

The aircraft operating was A6-FKF, a 3.8-year-old Boeing 737 MAX 8, delivered new to flydubai in December 2022.

Pilot implicated in cockpit stabbing

Passengers have begun sharing accounts of what happened on board, with several implicating one of the pilots as being responsible for the disruption.

One told the Jerusalem Post that one pilot was stabbed by the other, but that passengers from near the front of the aircraft managed to subdue the attacking pilot and remove him from the cockpit.

The witness said two other pilots were also on board, deadheading at the back of the aircraft. They rushed forward to take control of the Boeing 737 and guide it into Tabak safely.

Footage: The aircraft during the dramatic descent — dropping 4,000 meters in one minute. pic.twitter.com/IYKqxwvNLk

— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) September 30, 2026

Other accounts suggest one of the pilots was given lifesaving care by a medical professional on board, and that crew and passengers had to restrain one of the pilots and tie them down.

The airline shared:

Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route. The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport (TUU) and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority. Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available.

This is a developing story and will be updated as new information is received.