UAE prosecutor says Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with cockpit axe

A Flydubai first officer attacked the captain with an emergency crash axe taken from the flight deck during a flight to Tel Aviv, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said in a statement released on Saturday. The prosecutor called the assault a pre-planned act of terrorism.

First Officer Hamam al-Hammami is accused of using the axe against Captain Smit Machchhar to try to take control of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and put the aircraft into a steep dive. The flight, Flydubai 1073, had left Dubai with 174 passengers and six crew members on board and was bound for Tel Aviv.

Machchhar was injured multiple times but fought back, the attorney general said. Cabin crew and off-duty pilots travelling as passengers helped restrain and bind the first officer.

The aircraft was recovered from the dive and landed at Tabuk Regional Airport in Saudi Arabia. The captain and injured crew members were treated after the diversion.

Security analysts and aviation experts cited in the account pointed to the layout of the 737 flight deck, where the crash axe is stowed behind the captain's seat next to the second observer position, held by two quick-release latches. From the right-hand first officer's seat, the tool can be reached by extending the left arm back to release the latches. The captain would need to unbuckle or turn around to reach it.