A report has revealed the Omani co-pilot's plan to crash the plane. He may have tried to shut down the Boeing 737's engines after the crash attempt failed.
What was the plan of the Omani co-pilot?
An Omani co-pilot attempted to crash a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, but the attempt was foiled by Indian pilot Smit Machhar. After allegedly attacking Smit Machhar, the Omani co-pilot attempted to crash the flight into a building in Tel Aviv. After this plan failed, he may have tried to shut down the Boeing 737's engines.
The report, by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, gives a minute-by-minute account of the chaos that unfolded from the start of the flight on September 30, when the pilots cleared security checks and passengers began boarding. The report said there was nothing suspicious about the behavior of the co-pilot, identified as 29-year-old Hammam al-Hammami, whose father is Omani and mother is Syrian.
Al-Hammami attempted to kill
Captain Macher by first striking him with an axe and then attempting to crash the plane by seizing control of the yoke and shutting down both engines. However, Macher managed to avert a major aviation accident by helping the remaining crew members secure the plane and bring the situation under control.
Citing Israeli intelligence, the report said al-Hammami had planned to kill the captain and then take control of the flight, flying it to Tel Aviv, where it would crash into the city's tallest buildings. The
report said he planned to act so quickly that fighter jets would not have time to engage and intercept the plane, nor would authorities have time to negotiate.
What happened on the flight?
Al-Hammami, whose past and radical views are now under scrutiny, allegedly attacked Machhar inside the cockpit with an emergency hatchet as he attempted to crash the jet carrying 174 passengers and six crew members. However, the seriously injured Indian pilot managed to reach the crew and some passengers inside the cockpit, who overpowered the co-pilot and stabilized the plane, which had plummeted nearly 16,000 feet, in 30 seconds.
The plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where passengers were flown to Tel Aviv. Al-Hammami was taken for questioning by Saudi authorities and later flown to the United Arab Emirates, where he is currently being held.
