Flydubai FZ1073, 30 September 2026: who did what, and when
As of 2026-10-02. Live event, as of 2026-10-02. Reports are being revised. All clock times are UTC unless a note says otherwise. Dubai is UTC+4; Tabuk and Israel are UTC+3 in this period. The co-pilot is not publicly named by any authority and is not named here. Named people are officials, and the captain (named by India's government, Israel's and the UAE's authorities and all outlets read); passengers are identified by role only. Places are given only where a source names them, with coordinates from a gazetteer (orientation only). Each event states how its time was arrived at (date_basis).
Shape = kind of source: machine-recorded data a primary document an official statement a person's account a scholar's account a news report Style = status: 2+ sources agree one source sources differ our inference / time not reported the same event at another source's time Every dot is a link to its main source; the table lists all sources.
Panel A: the flight, 30 September (UTC)
Click a dot to open its source. Scroll sideways on a phone.
Panel B: statements and actions, 29 September to 2 October (times where reported, otherwise the day)
Click a dot to open its source. Scroll sideways on a phone.
Events (numbers match the diagram)
| # | When (UTC) | What | Status | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 Sep 2026 03:05 (approx.) | 30 Sep: FZ1073 departs Dubai for Tel Aviv, about 03:05 UTC (07:05 Dubai time) FlightAware's flight history lists the 30 September DXB to TLV flight FDB1073 (aircraft type B38M) with a departure time of 07:05 AM at UTC+4, which is 03:05 UTC. AirNav Radar's blog gives "approximately 03:05 UTC" and Al Jazeera, quoting Flightradar24, gives 03:05. CNN's "6:05 a.m. local time" matches 03:05 UTC if "local" is UTC+3, the clock CNN uses for its other times; CNN's "10:05 p.m. ET" is one hour off that (03:05 UTC is 11:05 p.m. EDT). CNN's '6:05 a.m. local time' is 03:05 UTC on the UTC+3 clock CNN uses elsewhere, so this is no longer drawn as a discrepancy; CNN's '10:05 p.m. ET' is one hour off (see log L-17). | reported data | main link, n:fz1073-2026-09-30-departure-dubai:0, n:fz1073-2026-09-30-departure-dubai:1, n:fz1073-2026-09-30-departure-dubai:2 |
| 2 | 30 Sep 2026 05:21 | Altitude fluctuations begin; steep descent Flightradar24: altitude fluctuations from 05:21 UTC (Al Jazeera); steep descent from about 9:21 a.m. UAE time, which is 05:21 UTC (Khaleej Times). Tracking then showed a descent, a climb and a second steep descent; about 15,000 ft by 05:33 UTC (Khaleej Times). | reported data | s_aljazeera, s_khaleej |
| 3 | 30 Sep 2026 05:22 (approx.) | Rapid descent (size disputed) DISCREPANCY BETWEEN SLICES OF ONE DIVE: about 14,000 ft in under 30 seconds (Flightradar24 via Al Jazeera), 16,625 ft in just over 30 seconds (Flightradar24 via Reuters, 2 Oct), 17,400 ft in just under two minutes (CNN), 34,000 to 15,000 ft in a few minutes with a peak of about -30,900 ft/min (AirNav Radar). Only the raw altitude track can settle it; none was read. | disputed data | s_aljazeera, s_cnn, s_airnav, s_reuters |
| 4 | 30 Sep 2026 05:22 (approx.) | Cockpit struggle (start; time not reported, placed at the drop) Reports say the struggle began when the captain was stabbed and the jet plunged; the start time is not given. Placed at the time of the drop as an inference. | inferred media | s_aljazeera |
| 5 | 30 Sep 2026 05:22 (approx.) | Captain injured (time not reported) Saudi ministry: an assault by the co-pilot on the captain, injuries to both. Israel's Prime Minister and passengers: the captain was stabbed. The time is not reported; placed at the start of the incident as an inference. | reported official | s_cnn, s_cnn_live, s_aj_saudi |
| 6 | 30 Sep 2026 05:31 | Squawk 7700 (emergency) 05:31 UTC per Flightradar24 (Al Jazeera); AirNav Radar says 05:28:48 UTC, about two minutes earlier. CNN's 'distress call at 8:31 a.m.' is this squawk on the UTC+3 clock (05:31 UTC), not the radio call. Why two trackers differ is not known (reception time, delay or a different message). Other-source time: AirNav Radar: squawk 7700 at 05:28:48 UTC | disputed data | s_aljazeera, s_cnn, s_airnav |
| 7 | 30 Sep 2026 05:38 | Squawk 7500 (unlawful interference) 05:38 UTC per Flightradar24 (Al Jazeera); about 05:35 UTC per AirNav Radar. AirNav also reports the code returning to 7700 on approach to Tabuk (7700, 7500, 7700). Who set the codes is not reported. Other-source time: AirNav Radar: squawk 7500 at about 05:35 UTC | disputed data | s_aljazeera, s_airnav |
| 8 | 30 Sep 2026 05:40 to 06:30 | Israeli fighter jets scrambled (time not reported) Reported by Al Jazeera (via Reuters) without a time; a Jerusalem Post statement from the Air Force describes the procedure for such flights without confirming this one. | single media | s_aljazeera |
| 9 | 30 Sep 2026 05:44 | Distress call received by Tabuk air traffic control Tabuk airport statement as quoted by Khaleej Times: its air traffic control centre received a distress call at 8:44 a.m. Saudi time (UTC+3), converted to 05:44 UTC by us. | single official | s_khaleej |
| 10 | 30 Sep 2026 05:45 to 06:10 | Passengers and crew enter the cockpit; the co-pilot is restrained (time not reported) Passenger accounts: a chokehold and removal from the cockpit; tied with headphone cords and zip ties; 'about five others' helped (a passenger to CNN). The time of day is not reported; the bar is an inference between the squawk change and the landing. | inferred witness | s_cnn, s_cnn_live |
| 11 | 30 Sep 2026 05:45 to 06:10 | Cabin crew call for a doctor and a pilot (video; time not reported) Video shared on social media and verified by CNN shows people crowded at the cockpit door, a cabin crew member calling for a doctor, and a voice calling 'We need a pilot'. Time inferred. | single media | s_cnn |
| 12 | 30 Sep 2026 05:50 to 06:10 | Additional pilots take the controls (time not reported) DISCREPANCY IN DESCRIPTION: flydubai says 'on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight'; Netanyahu says another air crew; CNN says reserve pilots; CBS says off-duty. Accounts differ on who first reached the controls. Time inferred. | disputed media | s_cnn, s_flydubai, s_cbs |
| 13 | 30 Sep 2026 06:45 | 30 Sep: FZ1073 lands at Tabuk, 9:45 a.m. local (06:45 UTC), per the Saudi Interior Ministry The Saudi Interior Ministry statement (as quoted by Al Jazeera) says the aircraft arrived "safely" at 9:45 a.m. local time (06:45 GMT) with 174 passengers and eight crew on board. Tabuk airport (quoted by Khaleej Times) gives 9:45 a.m. Saudi time and says its air traffic control received a distress call at 8:44 a.m. Saudi time (05:44 UTC). CNN gives touchdown at "9:54 a.m."; that is nine minutes after the two Saudi sources; CNN's source for the figure is not stated and the difference is not resolved. AirNav Radar's blog says the flight "landed safely at Tabuk" with last ADS-B data at about 06:58 UTC, and Khaleej Times says Flightradar24's final signal was at about 10:58 a.m. UAE time (06:58 UTC); a last signal can come after touchdown, but AirNav's wording equates them. The landing time is therefore open. Other-source time: CNN: touchdown at 9:54 a.m. (UTC+3 = 06:54 UTC); Saudi Interior Ministry and Tabuk airport: 9:45 a.m. | disputed official | main link, n:fz1073-2026-09-30-landing-tabuk:0, n:fz1073-2026-09-30-landing-tabuk:1, n:fz1073-2026-09-30-landing-tabuk:2, n:fz1073-2026-09-30-landing-tabuk:3 |
| 14 | 30 Sep 2026 06:58 (approx.) | Last ADS-B message received by AirNav Radar AirNav Radar: last ADS-B data received 'at approximately 06:58 UTC'. (An earlier version of this timeline gave 06:11 UTC for loss of tracking coverage from an aggregator; that is superseded and not repeated here, see log L-17.) | single data | s_airnav |
| 15 | 29 Sep 2026 (date only) | 29 Sep: Netanyahu says there are signs enemies will try to attack before the election The Jerusalem Post (29 Sep 2026) reports that at Tel Nof air base Prime Minister Netanyahu said "There are signs that leading up to the elections, our enemies will try to attack us". It says he did not specify which enemies. The opposition leader demanded a briefing; the Prime Minister's Office said he had updated him on "possible attacks on various fronts" (as quoted by Al Jazeera and others). On 30 Sep and 1 Oct the opposition leader said the warning had nothing to do with planes (Al Jazeera). The time of day is not stated in the part read; 12:00 UTC is a placeholder for a day-precision event. | single official | main link, n:fz1073-2026-09-29-netanyahu-election-warning-tel-nof:0 |
| 16 | 30 Sep 2026 06:57 (approx.) | Early Israeli security sources: hijacking ruled out Khaleej Times, citing the Times of Israel (not read), 10:57 a.m. UAE time. The event was then treated as a possible terror attack. | single official | s_khaleej |
| 17 | 30 Sep 2026 (date only) | Netanyahu: one pilot stabbed the other, apparently tried to crash the plane Video statement of 30 Sep; the time of day is not stated. Said another air crew entered the cockpit and stabilised the aircraft. | reported official | s_cnn, s_aljazeera |
| 18 | 30 Sep 2026 13:30 (approx.) | flydubai: 'an altercation' in the flight deck; crew landed it; motives unknown Statement 2 (read). Khaleej Times gives about 5:30 p.m. UAE time. Asked all parties to 'refrain from premature speculation'. | reported official | s_flydubai, s_khaleej |
| 19 | 30 Sep 2026 15:50 (approx.) | Replacement flight reaches Ben Gurion; Herzog: 'great miracle', joint probe with the UAE Al Jazeera, citing the Times of Israel: the replacement flight landed 'shortly before 16:00 GMT'. Passengers left Tabuk at 5:40 p.m. Saudi time (Saudi ministry). | reported official | s_aljazeera, s_cnn |
| 20 | 30 Sep 2026 19:00 (approx.) | flydubai suspends Israel flights, 'at the request of the authorities' Statement 3 and the CEO's statement 4 (read); Khaleej Times gives 11 p.m. UAE time. Israeli minister Regev had asked for it. | reported official | s_flydubai, s_khaleej |
| 21 | 30 Sep 2026 (date only) | US officials: four US citizens aboard; Trump spoke to Netanyahu Four American citizens who also hold Israeli nationality (two US officials to CNN). | single official | s_cnn |
| 22 | 30 Sep 2026 (date only) | Australia: two Australians aboard (Wong) | single official | s_cnn |
| 23 | 01 Oct 2026 06:57 (approx.) | UAE Attorney-General orders an investigation, including any terrorist link or prior planning UAE MoFA statement (read); Khaleej Times gives 10:57 a.m. UAE time for the announcement and 1:33 p.m. for the ministry. | reported official | s_mofa, s_khaleej, s_aj_uae |
| 24 | 01 Oct 2026 (date only) | Saudi ministry: assault by co-pilot, injuries to both; both leave for Abu Dhabi Statement issued 'on Thursday' (1 Oct); the hour is not given. With an Emirati security team, after being medically cleared. Read through Al Jazeera and CNN. | reported official | s_aj_saudi, s_cnn_live |
| 25 | 01 Oct 2026 (date only) | Netanyahu: co-pilot Omani, 'underwent Islamist radical indoctrination' Omani: told CNN (CNN does not date the interview: 30 Sep or 1 Oct). 'Underwent Islamist radical indoctrination': Fox News, reported in 1 Oct pieces. The same reports note motive is not confirmed; he also said it was too early to say whether Iran was involved. Placed at midday 1 Oct as a day-precision marker; the window is 30 Sep to 1 Oct. | reported official | s_cnn, s_cnn_live, s_aj_uae |
| 26 | 01 Oct 2026 (date only) | Trump: Iran link likely, 'based on what I'm hearing'; no detail 'Could be. Could be.' The same day a senior Israeli official told Ynet that investigators had so far ruled out an Iranian connection. | single official | s_cnn_live, s_ynet |
| 27 | 01 Oct 2026 (date only) | Regev: suspend flydubai; asks whether the UAE violated the agreement Her request to Shin Bet to halt the flights is dated 30 Sep by the Jerusalem Post. | single official | s_theprint, s_jp_192 |
| 28 | 01 Oct 2026 (date only) | Herzog (BBC Radio 4): co-pilot is Omani; calls him a 'terrorist'; Iran link 'too early to say' Per The National, interview on Thursday 1 Oct; the hour is not given (midday-style placeholder). An accusation, not a finding; The National says no confirmation from Oman, the UAE or flydubai. | single official | s_national |
| 29 | 01 Oct 2026 (date only) | Crew-nationality rule: reported 'breach'; vetting under review A transport ministry source says pilots on the route must come from states with normalised relations. On 2 Oct other sources told the Jerusalem Post that the bilateral agreement does not stipulate this. Shin Bet is meant to vet UAE crews; whether it did is not known. | disputed media | s_theprint, s_cnn_live, s_jp_405 |
| 30 | 02 Oct 2026 07:34 (approx.) | Israeli sources (unnamed): the co-pilot held no second nationality Jerusalem Post, 2 Oct 10:34 (page clock taken as Israel time, UTC+3, so 07:34 UTC; the zone is not stated). Anonymous sources; not confirmed by any authority. | single media | s_jp_405 |
| 31 | 02 Oct 2026 (date only) | flydubai CEO's first public comment: a 'safety incident'; 'many questions' Statement 4 (read): all 172 passengers and crew safe; the Captain returned to the UAE; flights to Tel Aviv suspended at the authorities' request. Reuters dates his first public comments to Friday 2 Oct. | single official | s_flydubai, s_reuters |
| 32 | 02 Oct 2026 (date only) | UAE civil aviation authority: commends captain, crew, passengers; no comment on claims Statement via WAM (as carried by Emirates 24|7, 2 Oct): the captain is in good condition; findings will be announced through official channels. | single official | s_gcaa |
| 33 | 02 Oct 2026 (date only) | Gargash, a top UAE official per CNN: 'dangerous terrorist act' CNN explainer: 'on Friday' (2 Oct); the hour is not given and his own words were not read. An accusation, not a finding; the UAE investigation is still examining any terrorist link. | single official | s_cnn |
People and bodies involved
- Captain Smit Machchhar: Indian national, named by India's Ministry of External Affairs, Israel's Prime Minister, the UAE civil aviation authority and all outlets read. Seriously wounded; surgery; reported out of danger (a local politician via CNN); moved to Abu Dhabi 1 Oct; the airline says he has returned to the UAE after medical clearance.
- First officer (co-pilot, accused): Not named by any authority and not named here. Described by Israel's Prime Minister and an Israeli official as an Omani national; the Saudi ministry says he assaulted the captain and both were injured. Left Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi 1 Oct with an Emirati security team. No charge reported in anything read. An accusation is not a finding.
- Two additional pilots: Flydubai crew travelling on the flight who landed the aircraft: 'on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight' (flydubai); 'another air crew' (Netanyahu); 'reserve pilots' (CNN, Reuters); 'off-duty' (CBS); 'British pilots' (one passenger to CNN). Identities not shared.
- Passengers who intervened: About five or six passengers entered the cockpit (a passenger to CNN). Identified here by role only; no passenger is named. Accounts by several passengers are quoted by CNN, Haaretz and Ynet. About 170 on board (counts differ), mostly Israeli; four US-Israeli dual citizens; two Australians.
- Cabin crew: Unnamed; a crew member is seen calling for a doctor and for a pilot in video verified by CNN.
- Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel's Prime Minister; made the main public claims about the attack, the co-pilot's nationality and 'Islamist radical indoctrination'; also said it was too early to declare a motive or an Iran link (CNN, Al Jazeera). On 29 Sep warned of attacks before the election.
- Isaac Herzog: Israel's President; called it a 'great miracle'; said Israel and the UAE will 'investigate the incident in depth together'. On BBC Radio 4 (Thursday 1 Oct, per The National) he said the co-pilot is Omani and called him a 'terrorist'; an accusation, not a finding.
- Anwar Gargash: Described by CNN as a top UAE official; CNN reports that on Friday 2 Oct he described the incident as a 'dangerous terrorist act' (his own words not read); an accusation, not a finding. The UAE's investigation is examining any terrorist link.
- Miri Regev: Israel's Transportation Minister; asked Shin Bet to halt flydubai's Israel flights and asked the civil aviation authority to look at whether the UAE violated the aviation agreement.
- Israel Katz: Israel's Defence Minister; called it an 'attempted jihadist terror attack' (Al Jazeera, CNN; no evidence given).
- Yair Lapid: Israel's opposition leader; said the 29 Sep warning had nothing to do with planes, and accused Netanyahu of trying to 'hitch a pathetic ride' (Al Jazeera).
- Donald Trump: US President; said an Iran link was likely 'based on what I'm hearing', gave no detail (CNN live blog).
- Penny Wong: Australian Foreign Minister; confirmed two Australian passengers (CNN).
- flydubai: Four numbered statements on its newsroom (read): incident en route; 'an altercation' in the flight deck; Israel flights suspended; CEO statement on 2 Oct.
- Saudi Interior Ministry: Statement 1 Oct: assault on the captain by the co-pilot, injuries to both; landing 9:45 a.m. local with 174 passengers and eight crew; both left for Abu Dhabi with an Emirati team. Read through Al Jazeera and CNN; the original was not reached.
- UAE authorities: Attorney-General ordered a Public Prosecution team to investigate (MoFA statement, read); the civil aviation authority called it a 'security incident' and on 2 Oct commended the captain, crew and passengers.
- Israeli agencies: Shin Bet, Mossad, the military and the transport ministry are involved in the Israeli review (an Israeli official to CNN).
- Trackers: FlightAware (read: list page), AirNav Radar (read: blog), Flightradar24 (not reached; known through reports).
Sources
s_flydubaiflydubai newsroom, Updates on FZ 1073 (statements 1 to 4)s_mofaUAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE Following Incident Involving flydubai Flight to Tel Aviv (1 Oct)s_gcaaEmirates 24|7, GCAA commends courage of the captain and crew (2 Oct), carrying the GCAA statements_flightawareFlightAware, FZ1073 (FDB1073) flight historys_cnnCNN, What happened inside the Flydubai flight to Israel? (30 Sep, updated 1 Oct)s_cnn_liveCNN live blog, 1 Octobers_aljazeeraAl Jazeera, What happened on the diverted Flydubai flight (updated 1 Oct)s_aj_saudiAl Jazeera, Flydubai co-pilot 'assaulted' captain: initial Saudi probe (1 Oct)s_aj_uaeAl Jazeera, UAE investigates possible 'terrorist' link (1 Oct)s_khaleejKhaleej Times, Flydubai FZ1073 timeline (2 Oct; times in UAE time)s_airnavAirNav Radar blog, Flydubai FZ1073 diverts to Tabuk (30 Sep)s_reutersReuters via KFGO, Israeli officials to question co-pilot (2 Oct)s_jp_192Jerusalem Post, Regev orders flydubai flights halted (30 Sep)s_jp_405Jerusalem Post, Omani co-pilot held no second nationality, sources say (2 Oct)s_ynetYnetnews, co-pilot transferred to UAE (2 Oct)s_theprintThePrint, Can an Omani pilot fly a plane to Israel?s_nationalThe National, UAE investigation to determine if flydubai incident was linked to terrorist activity (1 Oct)s_cbsCBS News, What we're learning about the co-pilot (updated 2 Oct)s_abcABC News Verify, Fake news spreading online (1 Oct, updated 2 Oct)s_jp_349Jerusalem Post, Watchdogs uncovered conspiracy theories (1 Oct), reporting an advocacy group's countsn:fz1073-2026-09-30-departure-dubai:0FlightAware, FZ1073 (FDB1073) flight history page, row for 30-Sep-2026 (read 2026-10-02) authenticity: tracker's own page; not byte-compared; the individual track log returned HTTP 429 and was not readn:fz1073-2026-09-30-departure-dubai:1AirNav Radar blog, Flydubai FZ1073 diverts to Tabuk after mid-air cockpit incident (30 Sep 2026) authenticity: tracker operator's own blog post; the underlying data download was not reachedn:fz1073-2026-09-30-departure-dubai:2Al Jazeera, What happened on the diverted Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv (updated 1 Oct 2026), timeline quoting Flightradar24 authenticity: news report quoting Flightradar24; Flightradar24 itself was not reachablen:fz1073-2026-09-30-landing-tabuk:0Al Jazeera, Flydubai co-pilot 'assaulted' captain before landing, initial Saudi probe (1 Oct 2026), quoting the Saudi Interior Ministry authenticity: news report quoting a ministry statement; the statement itself was not reachedn:fz1073-2026-09-30-landing-tabuk:1Khaleej Times, Flydubai FZ1073 timeline (2 Oct 2026), quoting a Tabuk airport statement authenticity: news report quoting an airport statement; the statement itself was not reachedn:fz1073-2026-09-30-landing-tabuk:2CNN, What happened inside the Flydubai flight to Israel? (30 Sep, updated 1 Oct 2026) authenticity: news report; source of its touchdown time not statedn:fz1073-2026-09-30-landing-tabuk:3AirNav Radar blog, Flydubai FZ1073 diverts to Tabuk (30 Sep 2026), landed and last ADS-B about 06:58 UTC authenticity: tracker operator's own blog post; the data file was not reachedn:fz1073-2026-09-29-netanyahu-election-warning-tel-nof:0Jerusalem Post, Israel's enemies may attack ahead of October election, Netanyahu warns (29 Sep 2026) authenticity: news report of a public statement; the video was not watched
Generated from timeline.yaml by build/tools/render_timeline.py. This page records what is reported and where reports differ. It is not a finding about what happened.