Co-pilot stabbed pilot on flight to Israel, passengers stopped crash attempt

On September 30, a co-pilot attacked the pilot on a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot used a knife to stab the pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national. The plane dropped nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. Passengers and crew then fought the attacker and took back control of the aircraft. The plane carried around 170 people, most of them Israeli. It landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The co-pilot was arrested there. Captain Machchhar was taken to hospital and is in a stable condition. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the co-pilot apparently tried to crash the plane, but investigators are still looking into why. Passengers later flew to Tel Aviv on a separate flight.