Flydubai Cockpit Attack: How the Plane Dropped and What Investigators Must Establish
A Flydubai co-pilot attacked his captain with a crash axe in an attempt to take control of a Dubai to Tel Aviv flight carrying more than 170 people, the UAE prosecutor general said. BBC A crash axe is an emergency hand tool carried on airliners, much like a fire axe kept in a building hallway.
Two and a half hours into the journey, the aircraft plunged more than 17,000ft (5,200m). An earlier account placed the aircraft at 33,000 feet when the upset began, a pilot's term for a sudden loss of controlled flight. CBC
The captain was identified as Smit Machchhar. Prosecutors said he was stabbed during the attack.
Passengers entered the cockpit, the crew-only control room at the front of the plane, and overpowered the attacker. The intervention stopped the attempt to take control. On-duty crew who were traveling on the flight then landed the plane safely.
Machchhar was taken to a nearby hospital before being airlifted to Abu Dhabi. He is in stable condition. The Indian embassy in the UAE said he was in good health and recovering well.
The UAE attorney general said investigations were continuing to determine the full circumstances and motives. State news agency reporting, cited by the BBC, said investigators are examining whether the incident was linked to terrorist activity or purpose.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker was an Omani national. Netanyahu said the man shouted "Kill me, kill me!" after being subdued. He also said the attacker had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination. U.S. President Donald Trump said the co-pilot who allegedly attacked his captain could be linked to Iran. CNN
The broader context here is that the last set of claims sits apart from the investigation. The nationality claim, the radicalization claim and the Iran claim are attributions by political leaders. They have not been presented as findings of the UAE investigation. Investigators will need to establish access to the crash axe, cockpit occupancy and entry at the time, the sequence behind the altitude loss, and the chain of control during the recovery and landing. Any finding on terrorist purpose will turn on UAE law and on what prosecutors disclose.
