A FlyDubai passenger jet carrying mostly Israelis plunged more than 17,000 feet before making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Sept. 30 after a violent struggle broke out between the pilots midflight.
All passengers survived after flight FZ 1073 diverted while en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. But Israeli officials say the incident may have been far more serious than an onboard dispute. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot allegedly stabbed the other and attempted to "sabotage" the aircraft, raising questions about whether the episode was an attempted terrorist attack.
The dramatic ordeal comes just days before a closely watched Israeli election. Authorities in Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are working to
determine exactly what happened aboard the flight.
Here's what to know.
When did the FlyDubai flight leave Dubai?
The Tel Aviv-bound FlyDubai plane departed from the United Arab Emirates' city-state early on Sept. 30 around 7 a.m. local time, according to FlightAware.
What happened to Israel-bound FlyDubai plane?
Flight FZ 1073 signaled it was experiencing an onboard security incident two hours into the flight, according to Flightradar24, a tracking website.
The jet then underwent what Flightradar24 described as "extreme fluctuations in the transmitted altitude data." It descended more than 17,000 feet in less than two minutes, when it changed its so-called emergency squawk code to "7500." That number is used by pilots to indicate an unlawful interference or hijacking on a plane.
Neither FlyDubai nor Israeli and Emirati officials immediately responded to requests for more information about the incident.
Was FlyDubai flight to Israel hijacked?
A spokesperson for Netanyahu initially said the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking. However, Israel's leader later said there was a violent struggle in the cockpit between the pilots, and Israeli officials have begun raising the possibility of an intended terrorist attack.
In a subsequent statement, Netanyahu said "one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and, apparently, tried to crash the plane with its passengers on the plane."
Still, the attacker's motivations were not immediately clear and Netanyahu stopped short of calling it a terror attack. He said the pilot was "attempting to sabotage the aircraft's systems."
Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, nevertheless described the incident as an "attempted jihadist terror attack." He did not elaborate.
The pilot who did the stabbing is being questioned by Saudi authorities.
Israel's controversial, hard-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir described the incident as a terrorist attack, though Israeli investigators have also not confirmed that description.
How many people were on the FlyDubai flight to Israel?
It is not yet known how many people and crew members were on board the flight. All passengers, of whom almost all were Israelis, are safe and accounted for, according to FlyDubai and Netanyahu's office.
Do commercial flights operate between Israel and UAE?
Direct commercial flights between Israel and Dubai only began in 2020 following the normalization of relations between the two countries as part of the Trump administration-brokered Abraham Accords. That agreement is a series of regional economic agreements involving Israel and various Gulf states.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel-bound jet drops 17,000 feet after cockpit fight. What to know
