- A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after one pilot reportedly attacked the other
- UAE, Saudi, IATA and Boeing will hold separate investigations
- Israel will also be holding a separate enquiry
- Lots of speculation have surrounded the incident with very few verifiable facts
- Pilot Smit Machchhar apparently opened the cockpit door allowing passengers to overpower the copilot
- The UAE’s Attorney General ordered an investigation into the incident
- An Israeli official identified the attacker as an Omani national
The United Arab Emirates has ordered an investigation into an incident aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv that was diverted to Saudi Arabia after one pilot attacked the other. It will be one of at least four investigations into the incident, concentrating on how the cockpit incident occurred, the aircraft technology, cockpit access and the Boeing 737 Max dive and how the aircraft responded.
The UAE’s Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi ordered the investigation to collect information and evidence to determine the truth of the incident, its circumstances, details and motives, and to verify the extent of its connection to any terrorist activity or purpose, or the existence of prior planning or direction for it.
It comes amidst a media narrative most of which is driven by one source. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated it was too early to declare a motive for the incident while responding to a question on whether Iran was behind it.
The Flydubai flight FZ1073 was diverted as it flew from Dubai to Tel Aviv through Jordanian airspace, prompting Israel to deploy warplanes. The struggle began when one pilot stabbed the other and sent the jet plunging nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. Footage taken on board the plane appears to show the injured pilot lying on the cabin floor with several stab wounds. The leaders of Israel and India hailed pilot Smit Machchhar as a hero for saving passengers after his colleague stabbed him.
Machchhar was covered with blood on the floor when he managed to click the release to open the cockpit door, a spokesperson for Netanyahu told Reuters. That allowed passengers and crew to overpower the copilot and enabled a second pair of Flydubai pilots on board to land the jet in Tabuk. Passengers on the flight reached Israel safely after the copilot’s attempt to crash the aircraft was foiled, Israeli officials stated. At Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport, officials stated the plane’s captain and first officer were taken to hospital after sustaining injuries. India’s embassy in Saudi Arabia later identified the injured captain as Indian national Smit Machchhar, who was receiving treatment at a hospital in Tabuk and was reported to be in stable condition.
Flight tracking data indicated the plane descended almost 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds about two and a half hours after leaving Dubai. Flightradar24 stated an initial general emergency signal designated by code 7700 was issued at about 05:31 GMT and later changed to another emergency signal with code 7500 declaring unlawful interference. The motive of the apparent attack was not immediately clear. Netanyahu stated Saudi authorities were interrogating the pilot accused of carrying out the attack. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz stated preliminary information indicated the attacker intended to crash the plane and kill everyone on board, calling the incident an attempted jihadist terror attack. An Israeli official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity identified the attacker as an Omani national. The incident comes days before the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
