Did Omani Co-Pilot Shut Down Engines During flydubai Cockpit Attack? Fresh Details Emerge On His Tel Aviv Crash Plot

Fresh details have emerged about the cockpit attack on Flydubai flight FZ1073 as the probe continues. The latest report indicates that the Omani co-pilot who attacked the Indian captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit wanted to take control of the aircraft and crash it into a building in Tel Aviv, Israel. The development comes after Machchhar on Saturday detailed the incident to Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call.

Co-Pilot Planned To Crash Plane

According to a report by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the co-pilot, identified as Hammam al-Hammami planned to kill Machchhar, fly the aircraft towards Tel Aviv and crash it into a tall building. The report said Israeli intelligence believes Al-Hammami acted suddenly after pretending to pray. He then picked up a crash axe and attacked the captain from behind.

Captain Fought Back Despite Injuries

Captain Machchhar was badly injured in the attack. He suffered serious wounds to his head and arm. At first, he thought that something inside the aircraft had hit him. However, Machchhar soon understood that the co-pilot was attacking him. Despite injuries, he managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew members to enter and help.

ALSO READ: 'Wanted To Crash Plane, Wasn't Afraid Of Death': Flydubai Co-Pilot's Chilling Confession, Misogynistic Posts Exposed

Plane Suddenly Lost Altitude

According to the reconstruction of accounts, Al-Hammami then reportedly turned off the autopilot and pushed the aircraft's controls downwards. Flight data showed that the aircraft had lost more than 16,000 feet in around 30 seconds. The speed also crossed 970 kmph, raising the possibility that the sudden manoeuvre may have damaged the aircraft's tail rudder.

Probe On

As per report, investigators are also looking into whether Al-Hammami moved the engine fuel controls from the “run” position to “cutoff.” It also states that the aircraft's emergency lights came on while the plane was still at high altitude.

The report noted, “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.” Investigators are now trying to determine whether the engines were actually switched off during the cockpit struggle.

Meanwhile, the UAE has described the incident as an attempted “terrorist act”, with further investigations underway. The incident has led to comparisons with the 9/11 attacks, with some describing the incident as a possible “mirror” of the 2001 attacks that also involved a plane.

ALSO READ: FlyDubai Attack Exposes Security Lapses: UAE Had Shared Details About Flight, Pilots' Names And Nationalities With Israel

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