Omani pilot stabbed on Flydubai flight FDB1073 over the Jordan–Saudi border as the Boeing 737‑MAX was cruising at 34,000 ft. The cockpit erupted in screams; a passenger later described seeing blood and a pocketknife slashing the pilot’s arm.
The cabin erupted into chaos when the assault began. Passengers scrambled to restrain the attacker, some of whom were also passengers in civilian‑clothed pilots. One Israeli passenger, Noam, recalled that the crew and fellow travelers fought to keep the cockpit intact.
Flight data shows the aircraft dropped 17,000 ft in under a minute, then briefly climbed before plunging again to 14,000 ft. The plane transmitted the emergency code 7700, briefly switched to 7500, and fighter jets were scrambled when contact was lost.
Senior Israeli officials say the incident could have escalated into a mass‑casualty event if the second pilot had succeeded in a suicide‑crash attempt. The pilot under investigation is Omani and was traveling as a passenger, according to a Channel 12 report.
The aircraft finally established contact and diverted to Tabuk Airport, where all 180 passengers were accounted for. Flydubai confirmed the incident but declined to elaborate, while investigators are reviewing cockpit voice recordings and flight‑data logs.
A family of three refugees from Gaza, traveling to Tel Aviv, spoke to reporters after the landing. They said the terror of the dive felt like a nightmare that could have ended in a crash, but the crew’s calm actions saved lives.