This is the terrifying moment a passenger jet bound for Israel plunged more than 17,000 feet in just over two minutes — after its own pilots allegedly started brawning in the cockpit.
The FlyDubai aircraft was cruising peacefully from Dubai to Tel Aviv when it suddenly dropped from 34,000 feet to about 16,600 feet over northwestern Saudi Arabia, according to chilling flight-tracking data.
Minutes later, the plane transmitted an emergency signal — instantly sparking fears of a hijacking and triggering a full-blown security scramble.
Israel scrambled fighter jets. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country's defence minister held an urgent security consultation. The entire Israeli security apparatus snapped to attention, bracing for the worst.
Because here's the chilling part: the aircraft was carrying dozens of Israeli citizens. Every alarm bell in the country was ringing.
An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed fighters were deployed the moment the alert was received.
But the truth, when it finally emerged, was almost too wild to believe.
It wasn't a hijacking at all. It was a violent incident between the two pilots.
Sources briefed on the incident told CNN a "violent incident" had erupted between the two aviators themselves — the very people trusted with hundreds of lives at 34,000 feet.
A regional official separately told the Associated Press that a fight had broken out in the cockpit and apparently involved the pilots, although its precise cause remained unclear.
An Israeli official confirmed the incident was not a hijacking and was instead understood to involve personnel aboard the aircraft.
The plane subsequently landed safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia — a facility that operates as both a civilian airport and a military base. Everyone aboard was reported safe, according to the Associated Press.
FlyDubai has been contacted for comment.
More to come.
