FlyDubai flight FZ1073 was operating from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, on September 30. The aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 174 passengers and 8 crew members.
The incident began while the aircraft was flying over Saudi Arabia. The flight reportedly lost about 16,000 feet (4,877 metres) in roughly 30 seconds during its most dramatic descent before being levelled out. The emergency was linked to a violent confrontation inside the cockpit involving the captain and the co-pilot.
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The co-pilot of the FlyDubai jet, which was bound for Israel from Dubai, attacked the pilot with an emergency crash axe, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday, calling the incident a "terrorist attack".
The co-pilot was identified as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national, two sources with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters. UAE authorities did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of his identity. Reuters could not independently reach al-Hammami for comment.
Reuters took this incident to an aviation simulator in order to demonstrate what such a descent could have felt like.
Alberto Paduanelli, an aviation instructor and owner of ALPA Simulation in Sherfield on Loddon, southern England, recreated the descent for Reuters. Paduanelli described a 16,000 feet descent in approximately 30 seconds as being comparable to a "very, very vertical roller coaster."
He explained that the crucial difference is that passengers on a roller coaster know when a major movement is coming, whereas a sudden aircraft plunge would be unexpected and could produce powerful negative G-forces on the body.
According to Paduanelli's simulation and explanation, passengers who were not wearing seat belts could have been lifted from their seats by the negative G-forces and loose objects inside the cabin could potentially have been thrown around. He added that the sudden change in vertical acceleration would have placed significant physical stress on passengers and crew and the aircraft itself would have also experienced substantial aerodynamic and structural loads.
Paduanelli stated that in his recreation of the incident, the aircraft's autopilot disconnected before the plunge, after which the aircraft accelerated rapidly during the descent. However, this is a reconstruction of the flight profile and should not be treated as a final finding from investigators. The official investigation is currently underway and is examining the aircraft's technical data and the precise sequence of events.
How Was The Plane Saved?
Reuters reported that passengers and crew managed to subdue the co-pilot after the cockpit confrontation. A reserve FlyDubai pilot who was travelling on the plane then took control of the aircraft. The plane was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry stated that the aircraft landed safely at 9:45 am local time, carrying 174 passengers and eight crew members. The passengers subsequently continued their journey on a replacement FlyDubai aircraft at around 5:40 pm. The captain and the co-pilot were taken to a hospital for treatment, while the remaining crew returned to Dubai.
Co-Pilot History And Education
Reuters reported that a person familiar with the matter stated that the co-pilot had previously been barred from flying by Oman because of concerns about his extremist views. The publication also reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the co-pilot had undergone radical islamist indoctrination and appeared suicidal. Netanyahu nevertheless stated that a motive had not yet been established.
Royal Air Maroc told Reuters that al-Hammami completed a three month training programme with the airline in 2025, but his subsequent application to work there was rejected.
Buckinghamshire New University in Britain stated that he had completed a distance-learning course in aviation management. Australian authorities were also investigating his links to Australia and a source briefed on the investigation said that he had studied at a university in Melbourne.
While the UAE Attorney General has characterised the incident as an attempted terrorist act, investigators are still working to establish the co-pilot's motive and whether there are any wider connections.
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority has also urged caution over unverified information while the investigation remains underway.
All people onboard survived the incident, and the aircraft ultimately reached the ground safely after one of the most extraordinary mid-air emergencies in recent aviation history.
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