A harrowing mid-air incident occurred on a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv when a co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a crash axe, prompting an urgent investigation by authorities in the United Arab Emirates. The aircraft, carrying over 170 passengers, experienced a terrifying descent, plunging 17,000ft (5,200m) approximately two and a half hours into the journey. A crash axe is usually kept âin the cockpit in case of emergencies. According to early, From passengers on board had suggested it might have been a knife.
The UAE attorney general confirmed that inquiries are underway to establish the motives and circumstances behind the event, specifically looking into whether it involved terrorist activity. The attacker, identified by several media outlets as Hamam al-Hammami, was an Omani national. Reports suggest he had previously been removed from flight training at Oman Air due to concerns regarding radical views, eventually moving to a different role within that airline. While he earned an aviation management degree from Buckinghamshire New University in the UK in 2023, the institution clarified he received no pilot training there. Given the stringent security on such a sensitive route, the weapon used has been a key question for investigators. Multiple media outlets including Reuters, CNN and The New York Times have named him as Hamam al-Hammami. The university said, he completed a three-year distance-learning course at Buckinghamshire New University in the UK and graduated with a degree in aviation management in 2023. It added he did not take any pilot training at the school. According to the country’s state news agency, the UAE has begun investigating whether the “incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose”.
The crisis unfolded when the plane suddenly entered a steep, fluctuating dive. Passenger Almog Itali described the sensation as riding a rollercoaster, noting that the aircraft rapidly dropped for 20 to 30 seconds before momentarily leveling off and diving again. The flight squawked a 7700 general emergency code before switching to 7500, indicating unlawful interference.
Onboard, Israeli woman Tali Manes alerted others to a disturbance, prompting four men—Zvika Manes, Yaniv Hayun, Dr. Shota Musayev, and Asaf Rajuan—to rush toward the flight deck. Capt. Smit Machchhar, though severely wounded, managed to open the cockpit door from the inside, later stating, “I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside.” The Indian government has since praised the captain for his immense courage.
Inside the cockpit, passenger Yaniv Hayun reported that the attacker was attempting to destroy flight instruments to disable the plane. Hayun intervened by placing the individual in a chokehold and dragging him out, where other passengers helped secure him. Hayun then took control of the flight, stating he manipulated the controls to help level the aircraft until a reserve pilot could take over. The flight ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized the incident as an attempt to cause a catastrophe comparable to the 9/11 attacks. He further alleged that the attacker was suicidal and had undergone radical indoctrination, claiming the man shouted for crew to kill him after being subdued. Two reserve pilots were ultimately responsible for landing the plane safely.
Capt. Machchhar was airlifted to a hospital in Abu Dhabi following the assault. Officials from the Indian embassy in the UAE confirmed he is in stable condition, recovering well, and the captain expressed his own confidence that he will return to full health.
