On Oct 6, 2026, a flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 plunged 17,000 feet in a cockpit fight over the Red Sea but was pulled out and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
The attack began when the co‑pilot allegedly kicked the control column and forced the aircraft into a steep nose‑down dive; data shows a 17,000‑foot loss in under a minute, a trajectory that would have slammed the plane into the sea in about 30 seconds.
Veteran pilot Steve Scheibner, who had flown the aircraft as first officer, said he and relief crew used simulator‑trained maneuvers to level the wings, then gently pulled the nose up, warning that hard pulls could damage the airframe.
Scheibner claimed a passenger who briefly grabbed the controls helped initiate the recovery before relief pilots took over; he also noted that the co‑pilot may have cut both engines and used the electric trim to maintain the dive, a theory that remains unconfirmed.
The co‑pilot, previously dismissed from another carrier for "extremist views," reportedly entered the cockpit with an axe, according to several witnesses, and the flight crew later squawked 7700 and switched to 7500, signalling a hijacking.
Saudi aviation authorities have launched an inquiry into the incident, and investigators are scrutinizing the co‑pilot’s background and the cockpit security procedures that allowed the assault to occur.