UAE officials say the co-pilot on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv used a cockpit crash axe — a tool normally kept on board for emergencies — to attack the captain mid-flight. The aircraft, carrying more than 170 people, suddenly dropped about 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) roughly two and a half hours into the trip before passengers managed to subdue the attacker and regain control.
Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, said that despite his injuries he forced open the cockpit door to let passengers in, allowing two reserve pilots to safely land the plane in Saudi Arabia. He is now recovering in Abu Dhabi and has been praised by India’s government for his bravery.
Several unnamed media outlets have identified the attacker as an Omani national, Hamam al-Hammami, though this hasn’t been officially confirmed. Reports say he had previously been pulled from pilot training at Oman Air over concerns about extremist views, and later earned an aviation management degree through distance learning in the UK — though not flight training.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker shouted “Kill me, kill me!” after being restrained, suggesting he may have intended to crash the plane. UAE authorities are investigating possible terrorist motives. Passengers, including an Israeli couple who first raised the alarm, are credited with overpowering the attacker.
Read the full BBC report for more details on the investigation and survivor accounts.
Source: Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe, UAE official says (feeds.bbci.co.uk).
Image: wbaiv, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).