ABC15 reported that an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight carrying dozens of Israelis made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a reported fight in the cockpit, and that Israel scrambled warplanes in response. According to the report, a pilot has been accused of trying to crash the plane. That is an accusation described in news coverage, not a finding by any court; no one has been convicted of anything, and the facts below are limited to what was reported.
Arizona law separates the question of whether someone was hurt from the question of what was in the other person's mind. A negligence claim requires only a breach of ordinary care; a claim for assault or battery requires intent. Both can be brought on the same facts, and the same two-year filing deadline under A.R.S. § 12-542 generally applies to each. The practical difference usually shows up in insurance. Most auto and liability policies cover accidents and exclude harm the insured expected or intended, so a passenger injured by an operator's deliberate act may be pushed toward other sources of recovery: the passenger's own underinsured motorist coverage, a health plan, or a claim against an employer who put an unfit person at the controls. Where a death results, the wrongful death statutes at A.R.S. § 12-611 through A.R.S. § 12-613 and the survival statute at A.R.S. § 14-3110 govern who may sue and for what.
The filing deadline does not wait for the criminal case
A criminal investigation and a civil claim run on separate tracks. Charges can be filed, dropped, or take years to resolve, and none of that pauses the civil clock. In Arizona, most personal injury claims must be filed within two years under A.R.S. § 12-542. Wrongful death claims are subject to the same two-year period, measured from the date of death, and are brought under A.R.S. § 12-611 through A.R.S. § 12-613. If a government employee or public entity is a potential defendant, a written notice of claim must be served within 180 days of the event under A.R.S. § 12-821.01, which is far shorter than most people expect.
Practical point: do not wait for a conviction before talking to a lawyer. A criminal conviction can help a civil case, but a civil case does not require one. The burden of proof is lower in civil court, and acquittal does not end a victim's claim.
When an operator leaves the scene or is suspected of impairment
On Arizona roads, a driver involved in a collision resulting in injury or death has a legal duty to stop and remain at the scene under A.R.S. § 28-661. Leaving is a separate offense from whatever caused the collision, and the conduct is often relevant evidence in a civil claim. Where authorities report that they are investigating suspected impairment, the DUI statute is A.R.S. § 28-1381. An arrest is not proof of anything, but the investigation file, including any chemical testing and officer observations, is usually worth preserving early through a records request or a litigation hold letter.
Being a passenger almost never costs you your claim. Arizona uses pure comparative fault under A.R.S. § 12-2505, which reduces recovery by a claimant's own percentage of fault rather than barring it outright. Insurers sometimes raise seat belt use or a decision to get in a vehicle; those arguments go to percentage, not to whether you can recover at all.
Steps that protect a claim in the first two weeks
Get the medical care you need and keep every record, including the discharge instructions people throw away. Write down what you remember while it is fresh, including who else was present. Photograph visible injuries and any damaged property. Ask your own insurer, in writing, to confirm your uninsured and underinsured motorist limits and your medical payments coverage; those are the coverages that matter most when a liability carrier denies based on an intentional-act exclusion. Report the incident to your insurer, but decline to give a recorded statement to any other party's adjuster until you have spoken with a lawyer. Finally, do not sign a release or cash a settlement check offered in the first weeks. Early offers are made before the full medical picture exists, and a signed release is very difficult to undo.
If you were injured as a passenger or by another driver in the Valley, see our Arizona car accident practice page for how these claims are built and what deadlines apply to yours.