'Thought it was a fight' — passenger says pilot stabbed with pocket knife on Dubai flight

Witnesses aboard a passenger jet traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, say what appeared to be a physical altercation in the cockpit was in fact a knife attack on one of the pilots. Passengers and crew members forced open the cockpit door and subdued the attacker, according to reports.

Passengers aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 said they heard screaming during the flight and saw large amounts of blood after the cockpit door was opened, Israeli outlet Ynet and other media reported Wednesday (local time).

One passenger told i24 News and Ynet that there was a lot of blood and that someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocket knife. "I thought we were going to crash," the passenger said.

The Jerusalem Post cited passenger accounts saying an Israeli dentist on board treated the wounded pilot and saved his life. The stabbed pilot was reported to be in critical condition. Israeli passengers and crew members overpowered the attacker, and the other pilot regained control of the aircraft.

Videos and photos from inside the cabin circulated on Israeli media and social media, showing a passenger wearing a blood-stained T-shirt and scenes of shouting aboard the plane just before landing.

Reuters also confirmed passenger accounts of a physical altercation between the pilots in which a weapon was used.

Some Israeli outlets reported unconfirmed accounts that the co-pilot had stabbed the captain multiple times and attempted to deliberately crash the aircraft. Unverified reports also suggested the co-pilot held Omani nationality while the attacked captain was a UAE national.

Flight FZ1073 departed Dubai International Airport at 7:05 a.m. and transmitted squawk codes 7700 and 7500 in quick succession about 90 minutes after takeoff. Code 7700 signals a general emergency, while code 7500 indicates unlawful interference or a hijacking.

The aircraft plunged 17,400 feet in two minutes before turning around in Saudi airspace and landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk. The plane carried about 174 people, including 27 children, more than 100 of whom were reported to be Israeli nationals.