- October 4, 2026
Omani Co-Pilot Wanted To Crash Flydubai Plane Into Tel Aviv Building, May Have Shut Off Engines: Report
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The co-pilot, identified as Hammam al-Hammami, may have shut off the plane’s engines after his bid to bring the passenger jet down was foiled.
Passengers board a flydubai flight, bound for Dubai, before taking off from Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026. (AFP photo)
The Omani co-pilot who attacked the Indian Captain inside the cockpit of the Flydubai flight FZ1073 wanted to crash the plane into a Tel Aviv building.
The co-pilot, identified as Hammam al-Hammami, may have shut off the plane’s engines after his bid to bring the passenger jet down was foiled, according to a report in Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera.
A detailed reconstruction of the Flydubai cockpit attack has shed light on how co-pilot Al-Hammami allegedly launched an assault on Captain Smit Machchhar. The account was compiled by the Italian daily using testimonies from people involved, reports submitted by the crew to aviation authorities, accounts from airport personnel and air traffic controllers, and data from specialised platforms.
Co-Pilot Intended To Kill Smit Machchhar, Crash Aircraft Into Tel Aviv Skyscraper
According to the report, citing Israeli intelligence, Al-Hammami initially intended to kill Machchhar, fly the aircraft to Tel Aviv and crash it into a skyscraper. He allegedly pretended to pray before taking the crash axe and attacking the captain from behind.
Machchhar initially believed he had been struck by a broken aircraft component but soon realised he was being attacked. Despite suffering severe head injuries, a badly wounded arm and heavy blood loss, he managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and two off-duty pilots to intervene.
The report said Al-Hammami then switched off the autopilot and pushed the control stick, sending the aircraft into a steep descent. It lost around 16,000 feet in 30 seconds and accelerated to more than 970 kmph, reportedly damaging the tail rudder.
Investigators are examining whether the co-pilot moved the engine fuel switches from “Run” to “Cutoff.” The report also highlighted cabin emergency lights that came on during the incident.
“In one of the videos, filmed between the seats and during the attempts to stop the first officer, the cabin emergency lights are visible. This is to help passengers evacuate the aircraft in an emergency or when the jet is grounded, and people need to disembark. Yet they turn on at high altitude. Why?… The emergency lights activate when the Boeing 737 loses its main power source (electricity) and switches to battery power. For this to happen, either the generators were turned off, or both engines were shut down,” the report noted.
Passengers eventually restrained Al-Hammami, while off-duty pilots regained control and landed safely at Tabuk. Machchhar was hospitalised and the co-pilot was handed over to Saudi authorities. Israel has described the incident as a “terror attack” and is investigating how an Omani pilot was cleared to fly into Tel Aviv despite its security policy.
Quick Answers
Ask News18The Omani co-pilot, Hammam al-Hammami, attacked Indian Captain Smit Machchhar from behind with a crash axe after pretending to pray. Despite severe head and arm injuries, Captain Machchhar opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and two off-duty pilots to intervene and restrain the co-pilot before landing safely in Tabuk.
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Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, with over 7 years of experience in journalism. She covers politics and a wide range of hard news, with a keen interest in national and international d…Read More
October 04, 2026, 23:07 IST
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