Flydubai ‘Fright’ Path: The Terrifying Seconds When Passenger Jet Plunged Thousands Of Feet | Watch

A video circulating online has captured the terrifying aftermath of the Flydubai FZ1073 emergency, as passengers aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight endured a sudden and dramatic descent before the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was diverted to Saudi Arabia.

The flight, carrying 174 passengers according to reports, eventually landed safely at Tabuk. But the sequence that preceded the landing has raised serious questions about what happened inside the aircraft’s cockpit.

🚨🇮🇱 The TERRIFYING plunge of the FlyDubai flight…

A flight carrying 174 people, including 27 children, dropped 14,125 feet in just 29 seconds (!!) this AM.

The co-pilot allegedly forced the aircraft into a dive after attacking the captain, before passengers and crew (including undercover special

forces) regained control.

The plane ultimately landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Thank God… 🙏

Writer: Samuel
https://t.co/PsuR8IlGBB

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 30, 2026

A Sudden Plunge at 34,000 Feet

Flight-tracking data shows just how extraordinary the incident was.

According to Flightradar24 data cited by Reuters, FZ1073 suddenly descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. The aircraft had been cruising at altitude before the dramatic change, triggering emergency procedures and sending passengers into panic.

The precise figures circulating with the viral video vary, including claims of a 14,125-foot drop in 29 seconds. Those figures should be treated as flight-tracking estimates rather than a substitute for the aircraft’s official flight-data recorder.

Then Came Squawk 7500

The situation became even more alarming when the aircraft transmitted emergency codes.

FZ1073 initially squawked 7700, the internationally recognised code for a general emergency. Minutes later, the aircraft transmitted 7500, the code associated with unlawful interference or hijacking, before subsequently returning to 7700.

For authorities monitoring an Israel-bound aircraft, the 7500 transmission inevitably triggered a major security response, including the reported scrambling of Israeli fighter aircraft.

What Was Happening Inside?

The latest accounts point towards a violent confrontation between the two pilots rather than a conventional hijacking by someone who had entered the aircraft from outside.

An Israeli official told Reuters that the pilots had become involved in a physical altercation. Other reports have alleged that one pilot attacked the other with a knife, while passenger accounts describe screaming and blood inside the cockpit. The exact sequence remains under investigation.

That distinction matters.

A 7500 signal does not itself establish who is responsible for an emergency. It tells authorities that an aircraft may be experiencing unlawful interference; investigators still have to determine what actually happened.

The Flight That Made It Back

After the crisis, FZ1073 diverted towards northern Saudi Arabia and landed safely at Tabuk Airport.

Flydubai said all passengers were safe and accounted for and that it was working with the relevant authorities to establish the circumstances of the incident. Both pilots were reported to have been injured.

The video may indicate only seconds of the passengers’ ordeal. The flight data, cockpit recordings, crew accounts and investigation will ultimately have to explain what happened during those terrifying moments in the sky.