Dubai: Omani co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami, who attacked Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar aboard a Flydubai flight, allegedly planned to take control of the aircraft after killing the captain and crash it into a building in Tel Aviv, according to a detailed reconstruction published by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The incident took place aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. According to the report, al-Hammami pretended to be praying inside the cockpit before grabbing a crash axe and attacking Captain Machchhar from behind.
Despite suffering serious injuries, Captain Machchhar managed to activate the mechanism to open the cockpit door. Passengers and two off-duty pilots on board then intervened and helped restrain the attacker.
During the attack, the aircraft was reportedly taken off autopilot and the controls were pushed sharply downward. The plane descended around 16,000 feet in just 30 seconds and reached a speed of more than 970 kmph, according to the reconstruction.
Investigators are also examining whether al-Hammami attempted to cut off the aircraft’s engine fuel supply after his initial plan was disrupted. They are checking whether the engine fuel switches were moved from the “Run” to “Cutoff” position. The sudden activation of emergency lights has also attracted investigators’ attention.
After passengers and crew regained control of the aircraft, the flight made an emergency landing at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. Captain Machchhar was taken to hospital for treatment, while al-Hammami was taken into custody by Saudi authorities. The UAE has described the incident as a terrorist attack. Investigators from several countries are examining whether al-Hammami acted alone and whether the attack was connected to any extremist ideology or previous concerns surrounding him.
