On 27 October 2025, a FlyDubai Boeing 737 en‑route from Dubai to Tel Aviv saw a pilot stab his co‑pilot, sending the aircraft into a 14,000‑foot drop that was halted in less than half a minute by the crew and passengers who rushed the cockpit.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, described the event as a traumatic ordeal in which the cabin crew’s swift intervention prevented a catastrophic crash.
The case has revived a long‑standing debate over cockpit video recorders: while audio‑data recorders are mandatory, image capture remains optional, a gap critics argue cost lives in past accidents such as the 1999 EgyptAir Flight 990 and the 2025 UPS MD‑11 incident.
A 2025 FAA panel, backed by industry experts, recommended against a blanket mandate, citing privacy and misuse concerns; the agency announced it would still review the recommendation before any rulemaking.
Airline workers, however, are calling for a faster decision, arguing that video evidence could clarify pilot misconduct, as it likely would have in this incident.