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Omani Co-Pilot Allegedly Planned to Crash flydubai Plane into Tel Aviv Building
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CNBC TV18•05-10-2026, 11:17
Omani Co-Pilot Allegedly Planned to Crash flydubai Plane into Tel Aviv Building
- •An Omani flydubai co-pilot, Hammam al-Hammami, is accused of attacking the Indian captain and planning to crash flight FZ1073 into a Tel Aviv building, according to an Italian newspaper report citing Israeli intelligence.
- •During the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, Al-Hammami allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe in the cockpit, an incident UAE prosecutors have described as a terrorist act.
- •Despite severe injuries, Captain Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and two off-duty pilots to intervene and restrain Al-Hammami.
- •After the attack, the aircraft went into a steep descent, losing approximately 16,000 feet in 30 seconds, with investigators examining if Al-Hammami disconnected the autopilot and pushed controls forward.
- •Investigators are also probing whether Al-Hammami attempted to shut down the aircraft's engines by moving fuel-control switches, with flight data being assessed to determine if engines were shut down and restarted.
Key Questions Answered
According to a reconstruction published by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera citing Israeli intelligence, the co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami allegedly planned to kill the captain, take control of the aircraft, and crash it into a building in Tel Aviv.
Despite suffering serious head and arm injuries, Captain Smit Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door. This allowed passengers and two off-duty pilots traveling on the aircraft to enter and help restrain Al-Hammami.
After the aircraft was brought under control following a steep descent, two off-duty pilots took charge of the plane and safely landed it at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
