📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Chomolungma8848
Crime
Indian flydubai pilot averts disaster after co‑pilot stabs him on Dubai‑Tel Aviv flight
✍️ Hindustan Times
🗓 01 Oct 2026, 05:58 AM
👁 19
During a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, the co‑pilot attacked the Indian captain with a knife, but the captain managed to control the aircraft and land safely, saving around 180 passengers.
A flydubai Airbus A320 operating a scheduled service from Dubai to Tel Aviv was disrupted when the co‑pilot allegedly stabbed the Indian captain with a knife shortly after take‑off. The incident unfolded in the cockpit, prompting an immediate emergency response from the crew.
Despite sustaining a serious wound, the captain retained control of the aircraft, following standard emergency procedures. He communicated the situation to air traffic control, declared an emergency, and began a rapid descent toward Dubai International Airport.
The plane touched down safely with all 180 passengers and crew unharmed, apart from the injured pilot who received on‑site medical attention before being transferred to a hospital. Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the co‑pilot's motives and mental state.
Dubai police, along with aviation safety regulators, are reviewing cockpit recordings and interviewing witnesses. The incident has raised concerns about crew screening and mental‑health monitoring within the airline industry.
Despite sustaining a serious wound, the captain retained control of the aircraft, following standard emergency procedures. He communicated the situation to air traffic control, declared an emergency, and began a rapid descent toward Dubai International Airport.
The plane touched down safely with all 180 passengers and crew unharmed, apart from the injured pilot who received on‑site medical attention before being transferred to a hospital. Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the co‑pilot's motives and mental state.
Dubai police, along with aviation safety regulators, are reviewing cockpit recordings and interviewing witnesses. The incident has raised concerns about crew screening and mental‑health monitoring within the airline industry.