Flydubai Co-Pilot Used Crash Axe In Mid-Air Attack

Passengers on a Flydubai flight to Israel were forced to intervene after the aircraft plunged about 17,000 feet during what authorities say was an attempted takeover by the co-pilot.

The flight, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with more than 170 people onboard, was about two and a half hours into its journey when the dramatic descent occurred.

The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said the co-pilot had attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe. Machchhar was injured and found himself unable to immediately control the situation inside the cockpit.

As the aircraft continued to descend, Machchhar said he realised he had to make another attempt to open the cockpit door.

“I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside,” he said.

His effort enabled passengers to gain access and overpower the attacker. Two reserve pilots who were travelling on the aircraft then took over and guided the plane to a safe landing in Saudi Arabia.

The discovery that a crash axe was used has raised questions about how the weapon was accessed. Such axes are normally kept in cockpits for use during emergencies, while early passenger accounts had described the weapon as a knife.

Authorities in the UAE said the investigation was continuing, including into the circumstances and motive behind the attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot was an Omani national. Several international media organisations have identified him as Hamam al-Hammami, although authorities have not officially confirmed his name.

Reports have also linked him to Oman Air, where he was allegedly removed from pilot training over concerns about his views. Buckinghamshire New University confirmed he graduated from its distance-learning aviation management programme in 2023 but said he did not receive pilot training there.