Tel Aviv, September 30 (Daily Kiran) : A flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was nearly brought down by a pilot’s alarming attempt to crash the aircraft. Passengers and crew members intervened just in time to persuade the pilot to land safely. This incident has been reported by local media, citing accounts from passengers and social media posts.
According to The Times of Israel, the co-pilot, crew, and several passengers physically restrained the pilot, preventing a potential disaster. Following the incident, a hijack alert was issued, prompting Israel to dispatch fighter jets to intercept the aircraft. Ultimately, the plane diverted and landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
While official confirmation of the pilot’s crash attempt is still awaited, Israeli authorities have acknowledged the altercation between the pilots. An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that a “major disaster was narrowly averted.” The official noted that additional crew members and Israeli passengers played a crucial role in subduing the pilot.
Inside the aircraft, chaos ensued, with one passenger sharing a photo on social media showing bloodstains on their T-shirt. The situation escalated early Wednesday morning when the hijacking signal was detected, causing panic from Israel to Dubai. In response, several fighter jets were dispatched, but the plane ultimately landed safely at Tabuk Airport.
Following the safe landing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the situation was under control and preparations were underway to bring the stranded passengers back home.
Data available publicly indicates that approximately two hours and fifteen minutes into the flight, the Boeing aircraft unexpectedly nosedived, accelerating from 411 knots to nearly 600 knots. In less than a minute, it descended from 34,000 feet to around 17,000 feet.
For a brief moment, the plane stabilized, reaching an altitude of 21,650 feet; however, it then plummeted again, dropping below 14,000 feet. For the next hour, the aircraft struggled to maintain a steady altitude, hovering around 15,000 feet, suggesting it was being manually controlled rather than on autopilot.
Meanwhile, a meeting involving Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and top security officials was convened. As of the latest updates, FlyDubai has sent a second aircraft to bring the passengers stranded in Saudi Arabia back to Tel Aviv.
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