Flydubai Flight Crew Battled Pilot's Apparent Suicide Attempt

Passengers on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv described a terrifying ordeal that felt like an "airborne terrorist attack" when the pilot allegedly attempted to crash the plane. The incident, which endangered the lives of approximately 150 passengers, saw individuals convinced they were moments from death.

Eyewitness accounts reveal the severity of the struggle, with one passenger's clothing reportedly covered in blood after assisting the crew. "It felt like a terrorist attack right during the flight. We felt we were about to crash. For several minutes, we thought: either we crash, or we get killed," one passenger recounted, adding that people were mentally preparing for their demise.

Following the incident, passengers remained on the grounded aircraft in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, awaiting a replacement plane. The leading theory among investigators is that the captain intended to commit suicide by intentionally crashing the aircraft. The disaster was averted through the bravery of the co-pilot and Israeli passengers who reportedly entered the cockpit and engaged in a physical struggle with the captain, regaining control of the plane and landing it safely.

Previous unconfirmed reports suggested the pilots were of Ukrainian and Russian origin, with one of them attempting suicide.