Flydubai’s flight FZ1073 experienced a sudden plunge of 16,000 feet over about 30 seconds after a co-pilot attacked the captain on Wednesday. The incident was described as a “terrorist attack” by the UAE prosecutor general and involved an emergency crash axe wielded against the pilot. An aviation instructor recreated the descent in a flight simulator for Reuters, likening it to a vertical roller coaster that would subject passengers to intense negative G-forces. The aircraft’s autopilot disconnected before the plunge began, leading to rapid acceleration, but was eventually levelled out and safely landed after passengers subdued the co-pilot.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 30, 2026, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after transmitting distress signals. The plane had initially turned around over Jordan and later activated codes indicating potential unlawful interference with the aircraft before reverting back to general emergency alerts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations as a precautionary measure, while Israel scrambled fighter jets due to hijacking concerns. However, an altercation between the pilots was cited by officials as the reason for the distress signals, not a hijacking attempt. The flight carried around 150 people, mostly Israelis, and everyone on board was reported safe after landing in Saudi Arabia.
Written for “Israel Bound Flight Diverted” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 280 other(s) covering the same event.
Flydubai’s flight FZ1073, which plunged 16,000 feet in about 30 seconds before being levelled out and landing safely
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which → plunge → seconds
would have felt like a “vertical roller coaster”, according to an aviation instructor who recreated the descent in a flight simulator for Reuters.
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who → feel → Reuters
The steep fall, after an attack on the captain by the co-pilot during a flight on Wednesday, would have put huge strain on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft — as well as the passengers and crew, said Alberto Paduanelli, owner of ALPA Simulation in Sherfield on Loddon, southern England.
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Paduanelli → put → Loddon
The co-pilot of the flydubai jet, which was bound for Israel from Dubai, attacked the pilot with an emergency crash axe, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday, calling the incident a “terrorist attack”.
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general → bind → incident
The co-pilot was identified as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national, two sources with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters.
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sources → identify → Reuters
UAE authorities did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of his identity.
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authorities → respond → identity
Reuters could not independently reach al-Hammami for comment.
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Reuters → reach → comment
Flydubai says the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation and it cannot comment further.
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it → say → investigation
Oman has yet to comment on the incident.
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Oman → have → incident
“A plunge of 16,000 feet (4,877 metres) over 30 seconds will feel like you are over on a very, very vertical roller coaster,” Paduanelli said, sitting at the controls of the simulator cockpit.
“The difference is that on the roller coaster, you know what’s happening,” he said, adding that with a sudden drop “you feel the negative g-force on your body”.
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you → feel → body
For passengers who are not strapped in, “Your body will literally lift from the seat”, he said.
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he → strap → seat
Using a simulator to recreate the incident, Paduanelli said the aircraft’s autopilot disconnected before the plunge began, causing the jet to accelerate rapidly.
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jet → use → incident
United States President Donald Trump has praised the Boeing jet for withstanding the severe forces put on it during the incident.
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Trump → praise → incident
The plane was levelled out after passengers overpowered the co-pilot, before a reserve crew of pilots onboard landed the plane.
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crew → level → plane
“It was an amazing show of precise and powerful structural planning and design,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding that the 737 MAX “was able to withstand G Forces and Strain far beyond what it was designed and expected to do”.
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it → post → what
Boeing did not respond to a request for comment.
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Boeing → respond → comment
Aircraft are designed and tested to withstand substantial aerodynamic loads, but Paduanelli said a prolonged high-speed dive can place extreme strain on an airframe.
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dive → design → airframe
“This was nothing but a miracle that nothing was hurt apart from the captain, unfortunately, and that two pilots were onboard,” Paduanelli said.
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Paduanelli → hurt → captain
Details about al-Hammami’s past have trickled out.
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Details → trickle → past
Royal Air Maroc told Reuters he did a three-month training with the airline in 2025 but his application to work there afterwards was rejected.
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application → tell → 2025
Buckinghamshire New University in Britain said he did a distance-learning course in aviation management with the institution, but no pilot training.
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he → say → institution
An Australian Federal Police spokesperson said on Sunday that authorities there were investigating al-Hammami’s “links to Australia”.
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authorities → say → Australia
A source briefed on the investigation said the co-pilot studied at a university in Melbourne.
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pilot → brief → Melbourne
The Aporia
