Dubai-Tel Aviv Flight: Did the Pilot Attempt to Crash It?

The incident involving the "Flydubai" flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv took a new turn after Israeli Channel 14 reported suspicions that one of the pilots attempted suicide and tried to crash the plane with everyone on board, before the second pilot intervened, engaged him in a struggle inside the cockpit, and managed to regain control.

In a statement, "Flydubai" confirmed that flight 1073 bound for Tel Aviv experienced an incident during its flight, and that the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with all passengers unharmed. The aforementioned statement did not include details about the nature of the incident or confirmation of the Israeli account.

According to the report prepared by Israeli journalist Efrat Brenner on Channel 14, an initial reading of the data for flight FZ1073 raised suspicions of a deliberate attempt to destroy the aircraft, after it recorded a sharp descent from an altitude exceeding 30,000 feet to approximately 15,000 feet within seconds, at a speed approaching 1,000 kilometers per hour. Approximately 100 Israelis were on board.

According to the report, data from the aircraft's monitoring and tracking systems, which is a "Boeing 737 MAX 8," showed a sudden and sharp drop from a cruising altitude of nearly 35,000 feet, with a peak descent rate of approximately 30,976 feet per minute. Its ground speed also exceeded 500 knots, or about 930 kilometers per hour.

The report links this descent to the operation of the engines and control surfaces, considering them indicative of an attempt to deliberately steer the aircraft toward the ground. According to the narrative provided, the second pilot realized what was happening and rushed toward his colleague, initiating a physical struggle over the controls.

During the confrontation inside the cockpit, the aircraft broadcast emergency codes 7700 and 7500, the latter being used to indicate hijacking or unlawful interference. This, according to the report, led to security agencies in Israel and the region being put on alert and halted takeoffs from Ben Gurion Airport.

The report adds that the second pilot managed to overpower his colleague and regain control, then returned the aircraft to a stable flight position at an altitude of approximately 15,000 feet, stopping the descent that could have caused the airframe to disintegrate in mid-air due to extreme loads and speed.

While the company confirms passenger safety and the landing in Tabuk, the account of an attempted crash remains a suspicion reported by the Israeli outlet, without confirmation in the "Flydubai" statement.