Stories
Flydubai Co-Pilot Used Crash Axe to Attack Captain Mid-Flight, UAE Says
- •An Omani co-pilot on Flydubai flight FZ1073 allegedly used a crash axe to attack Indian Captain Smit Machchhar and attempted to take control of the Israel-bound plane.
- •The United Arab Emirates prosecutor general revealed the incident, stating the co-pilot's actions nearly crashed the flight with 182 people on board.
- •Passengers and crew intervened after Captain Machchhar opened the cockpit door, subduing the co-pilot and stabilizing the aircraft.
- •The co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, was reportedly barred from flying by Oman due to concerns about "radical ideologies" but was later hired by Flydubai.
- •The incident raises significant safety concerns regarding pilot vetting processes, especially given the co-pilot's history of extremist views.
Key Questions Answered
The Omani co-pilot of Flydubai flight FZ1073 used a cockpit crash axe to attack Indian Captain Smit Machchhar and attempted to take control of the Israel-bound flight. The actions sent the plane into a sharp plunge, putting the 182 people on board at risk before passengers and crew intervened.
The co-pilot, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, was barred from flying by Oman over concerns that he had adopted radical ideologies and showed signs of extremist views, leading to his reassignment to an administrative job at Oman Air before being hired by Flydubai.
Under UAE General Civil Aviation Authority regulations, large commercial aircraft are mandated to carry a crash axe or crowbar in the flight crew compartment as an essential emergency breaching tool. Its presence was standard mandatory equipment rather than a security breach.
