Flydubai pilots who fought in cockpit reportedly Russian and Ukrainian

On Wednesday morning, the crew of Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv transmitted a 7700 code, signaling a general emergency, followed shortly afterward by a 7500 code, which indicates possible unlawful interference or hijacking.

The situation remained unclear for several minutes, but the airline later said the alerts were triggered by a fight between two pilots in the cockpit. According to the company, one of the pilots lost consciousness during the altercation. Flydubai said there was no security threat or attempted hijacking.

The airline was reportedly surprised by the conflict between the crew members. Media reports said one pilot is of Russian origin and the other is of Ukrainian origin.

A passenger on the Flydubai flight, which made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, described the incident to Israel’s Channel 12, The Times of Israel reported.

“We heard screams on the plane. Then they opened the cockpit, and we saw blood, and someone had stabbed the pilot with a pocketknife,” the woman said.

The passenger said Israeli passengers and crew members helped restrain the attacker. She added that people on board prayed and that there were moments when they thought “they would not get out of there alive.”

“People started screaming on the plane. ... The passengers realized what was happening. We understood that one of the pilots had been stabbed and seriously wounded, and they had lost control of the plane. It began to dive rapidly. It was very frightening,” another woman said.