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Off-Duty Pilots Take Control After Cockpit Stabbing Incident Forces Emergency Landing in Saudi Arabia

Passages of Off-Duty Aviators Intervene to Secure Control and Divert Flydubai Boeing Aircraft Following Violent Pilot Altercation in Mid-Air

I

International Desk

International Desk • 30 Sept • 2 min read • 15 views · 16 impressions

Updated 10 Nov 2026

Off-Duty Pilots Take Control After Cockpit Stabbing Incident Forces Emergency Landing in Saudi Arabia
Off-duty pilots and passenger medical responders step in to land a Flydubai airliner safely at Tabuk International Airport following a cockpit stabbing.

New witness accounts from passengers aboard the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv have revealed that two off-duty pilots traveling as passengers saved the aircraft after a violent altercation inside the cockpit resulted in one pilot being stabbed.

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According to statements given to the Jerusalem Post, passengers initially feared a catastrophic mechanical failure when the Boeing aircraft plummeted 16,600 feet in just two minutes from a cruising altitude of 34,000 feet. Front-row passengers restrained the attacking pilot and removed him from the cockpit, while two off-duty pilots seated toward the rear of the cabin rushed forward at the urging of passengers to assume control of the controls. Simultaneously, a dentist traveling on the flight provided emergency life-saving medical care to the injured pilot, whose shirt was soaked in blood. The off-duty aviators safely navigated the aircraft to an emergency landing at Tabuk International Airport in Saudi Arabia after a Squawk 7700 hijack/distress signal was transmitted to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. Authorities in Saudi Arabia confirmed the aircraft landed without damage and all 180 passengers remain safe under security supervision.

— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth

Reported by International Desk • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].

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