A commercial flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an altercation reportedly ended with two people bloodied on the floor. Cluster2 Airports, which operates at several airports across Saudi Arabia, told NBC News that both the captain and first officer of FlyDubai Flight FZ 1073 were injured in the incident and taken to a hospital.
A passenger told FoxNews that the co-pilot stabbed the captain during an altercation in the cockpit, but added that there are “many different accounts” of what happened. The passenger’s account hasn’t been confirmed by the airline or authorities.
An Israeli official said the crew is being questioned as part of the investigation, which is ongoing, and Israel believes there may have been an attempt to attack Israelis, according to the Associated Press.
The Boeing 737 Max switched its transponder code to 7700, a code to signal illegal interference with an aircraft. Publicly available data shows the aircraft plunged from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet in about a minute, approximately two minutes into the flight. The aircraft then made an erratic circle near the Jordanian border before landing in Tabuk.
Video from onboard the plane showed two people who appeared to be covered in blood lying on the floor with a crowd around them, NBC reported.
Flight bound for Israel makes emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following bloody cockpit fight
