Safety & Incidents
Read at source ↗After the Flydubai Cockpit Attack, Questions About How Pilots Are Screened and ClearedUK Regulator Rules September 21 Air Traffic Failure Was 'Extraordinary Circumstances'
Flydubai Pilot Reportedly Stabbed His Captain and Tried to Bring Down a 737 MAX Over Saudi Arabia
Al Jazeera
Flydubai flight FZ1073, a 737 MAX 8 bound from Dubai to Tel Aviv, diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia on September 30 after one pilot stabbed the other in the cockpit. The aircraft descended about 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds, and its transponder code went from 7700, a general emergency, to 7500, which signals unlawful interference. An Israeli official identified the attacker as the Omani first officer, and the injured captain as Indian national Smit Machchhar, who managed to open the cockpit door despite his wounds. Passengers and crew then overpowered the co-pilot, and a second flydubai crew on board landed the aircraft at Tabuk around 06:45 GMT; all 174 people aboard reached safety. The UAE attorney general ordered an investigation examining any connection to terrorist activity, and flydubai said the underlying reasons and motives are unknown. Israel's defence minister called it an attempted jihadist terror attack. The account rests on official statements and press reporting, and the motive remains unestablished.
Passengers and crew overpowered the alleged attacker after the jet plunged about 14,000 feet, and a second flydubai crew landed it safely at Tabuk with 174 people aboard. The UAE attorney general has opened an investigation.
Original reporting
Al Jazeera · Al Jazeera Staff
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