Two uniformed crew members who intervened to land a FlyDubai flight after an onboard attack on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, remain unidentified by the airline. The Boeing 737, bound for Israel with 182 people on board, experienced a sudden descent after a co-pilot reportedly attacked the captain. According to passenger Daniel Schlichter, the two extra pilots were on the flight to \"deadhead,\" a practice where off-duty crew members travel to a location to operate a future return flight.
Schlichter, who was seated in the second row, stated that screaming passengers alerted the cabin to a struggle in the cockpit. The captain, though wounded and bleeding, managed to unlock the door. After a passenger grabbed the co-pilot and others subdued him, Schlichter reported that one of the deadheading pilots jumped over the struggle to enter the cockpit and seize the controls. The second deadheading pilot followed, and the two locked themselves inside to stabilize the aircraft.
The descent was severe enough to tear away part of the aircraft's rudder. Schlichter estimated it took approximately 10 minutes or more to stabilize the plane. During the flight, some passengers expressed concern about where the new pilots were taking them, as there was no communication for about 45 minutes. The pilots eventually announced they would land in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. FlyDubai has officially described the individuals only as \"on-duty crew members\" and has not explained why it has not said more.
This event affected 182 passengers and crew members who were on a flight that experienced flight deck violence. The presence of \"deadheading\" pilots—extra crew members typically not considered part of a flight's operational team—provided the intervention required to prevent a total loss of the aircraft. The incident resulted in physical damage to the Boeing 737, specifically the tearing of a portion of the rudder.
The 182 people on board faced a period of uncertainty for roughly 45 minutes as the aircraft diverted to Saudi Arabia. While the passengers eventually landed safely, the airline has not yet named the responders three days after the event. As of October 3, 2026, the identities of the responding pilots remain undisclosed. Authorities have not yet released a final report on the mechanical damage.