The FlyDubai plane transmitted an emergency alert shortly after takeoff, according to publicly available flight tracking information. A regional official briefed on the incident said a fight broke out in the cockpit and apparently involved pilots. It wasn't immediately clear what had caused the fight, the official said.

Nearly two and a half hours out of Dubai, passengers on Flight 1073 felt the plane plunge more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds – shaking the cabin as it dropped over Saudi Arabia.

The apparent attack by the co-pilot on a flight to Israel, in which he stabbed his captain and tried to crash the plane, is a reminder that the cockpit is an extremely sensitive place in terms of aviation safety.

An Israel-bound FlyDubai jet plunged thousands of feet and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a reported confrontation between the pilots.