A flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning experienced a violent struggle in the cockpit. Passenger Tali Manes reported hearing heavy blows against the cockpit door before a flight attendant opened it.
Inside, the pilot was found badly injured and in a struggle with the co-pilot, who was armed with a sharp weapon. There was no one at the controls of the Boeing 737, and the plane went into a steep dive, losing around 16,000ft of altitude in approximately one minute.
A group of passengers intervened, overpowering the co-pilot. Two off-duty pilots on the flight then took control, guiding the aircraft to a landing 90 minutes later in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The injured pilot, Smit Machchhar, is recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital.
The identity of the co-pilot is currently unknown, though regional sources indicate he was an Omani national who joined flydubai between five and nine months ago. Questions are now being raised about aviation security, including cockpit door locks and the screening of pilots.