Pilot tried to crash plane, hijack code triggered: What happened on Tel Aviv flight
A FlyDubai flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a mid-air altercation between pilots, which triggered hijacking emergency codes. Reports suggest one pilot may have attempted to crash the plane, requiring intervention from the second pilot and passengers.
Why it matters
This rare and dangerous incident highlights critical safety and mental health concerns within commercial aviation operations.
A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed safely at Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport on Wednesday after declaring an emergency, following a dramatic mid-air incident that briefly raised fears of a hijacking and prompted Israel to scramble fighter jets.Flight FZ1073, carrying around 180 people, was flying towards Ben Gurion Airport when it transmitted the international emergency squawk code 7700 and later the 7500 code, which indicates hijacking or unlawful interference. The aircraft was diverted from its route and eventually landed at Tabuk, where Saudi security forces surrounded the plane.The exact sequence of events remains under investigation. Israeli officials and media reports said the emergency signals were apparently triggered by an altercation between the two pilots in the cockpit.
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