UAE authorities say the co-pilot of Flydubai Flight FZ1073 attacked the captain with the cockpit crash axe and tried to take control of the aircraft. Passengers and crew intervened, reserve pilots took over, and the plane landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Reporting identified the accused co-pilot as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, but officials had not publicly confirmed his identity or established a motive as of October 3, 2026.
What happened on Flydubai Flight FZ1073?
The flight left Dubai for Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026, with 182 people aboard, according to the Associated Press (AP). During the flight, the UAE attorney general said, the co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit’s crash axe and attempted to take control. The captain and co-pilot were injured.
Passengers and crew intervened. Reserve pilots who were aboard took control of the aircraft, which diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia and landed safely. UAE authorities characterized the alleged assault as a terrorist attack; that official characterization does not settle the still-open questions about motive or planning.
How did the aircraft’s flight change during the incident?
AP reported the following figures from flight-tracking records. They describe this flight’s reported timeline, not general aviation safety statistics.
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| Reported point in the timeline | Altitude or code | Attribution |
|---|---|---|
| Before the sharp descent | 34,000 feet | AP flight-tracking timeline |
| About 90 seconds into the descent | 16,600 feet | AP flight-tracking timeline |
| Lowest altitude reported later in the timeline | 15,000 feet | AP flight-tracking timeline |
| Emergency transponder codes reported | 7700, followed by 7500 | AP; 7500 is the code for unlawful interference |
Who is the accused co-pilot?
AP, citing three people familiar with the matter—including Gulf and Western diplomats speaking anonymously—identified the accused as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national. Al Jazeera also reported that his identity had not been officially confirmed. The name and nationality should therefore be treated as reported identifications, not as an official public confirmation by UAE authorities.
AP reported two limited background details. Royal Air Maroc said he completed a three-month theoretical training period in 2025 but was not selected for employment. Buckinghamshire New University said he completed a distance-learning aviation-management course and did not undertake pilot training there. Those statements do not establish his full qualifications or employment history.
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Reports attributed allegations about extremist views to officials or anonymous sources, but the accounts reviewed did not provide details sufficient to establish those claims independently. Authorities had not publicly settled whether anyone else was connected to the incident.
Was the captain from New Zealand?
The reports reviewed describe Captain Smit Machchhar as Indian, not as a New Zealand-trained pilot. They do not establish that he trained in New Zealand. The claim in the original headline that the co-pilot was identified as being from the UAE is also inconsistent with the available reporting: the accused was identified by people familiar with the matter as Omani, while officials had not publicly confirmed his identity.
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What remains under investigation?
As of October 3, 2026, the UAE attorney general said investigators were examining the circumstances of the incident, possible motive and connections, and physical and digital evidence. Final findings had not been announced. The account of the alleged attack and the UAE’s terrorist-attack characterization are official statements; they should not be mistaken for a completed public explanation of why it happened or whether it was planned with others.
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