Flydubai Flight FZ1073: Why was the copilot allowed to fly, how did the plane survive the 17,000ft plunge & other questions remain unaswered

What would have been a normal Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv became an ordeal for survival after an alleged dispute between the two pilots caused a sudden, rapid descent of the aeroplane. The flight FZ1073 departed from Dubai International Airport on September 30, with 174 people onboard. About two and a half hours into the flight, flight-tracking records show that the Boeing 737 MAX 8 descended sharply before finally landing in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Details of what transpired in the cockpit are still being investigated by investigators. The UAE government is ordering investigations to establish the exact nature of the incident, the reason behind it, and whether it has anything to do with terrorism, conspiracy, or external influence.

Apart from finding out how the incident unfolded and what exactly transpired in the cockpit, there are some questions that are arising about this matter. How did the alleged attacker manage to get clearance to fly the plane? How did the plane continue to be controllable despite both pilots being injured? How did the passengers become involved in regaining control of the plane?


Al Jazeera has reported on several of these unanswered issues as investigators examine the incident and conflicting accounts continue to circulate.

1. How did the flight survive such a dramatic loss of altitude?

The most disturbing aspect of this entire event is the sudden plunge of the aircraft.

As reported in flight-tracking data from Al Jazeera, FZ1073 started at an altitude of 34,000 feet but soon started dropping. There was a point when the plane went down by more than 14,000 feet in less than half a minute. After that, it rose to 15,000 feet and stabilised.

In addition to this, the distress codes can further reveal how sudden the entire incident became. The plane coded 7700, the universal distress code, and then changed to 7500, which stands for hijacking.

After this, the plane started its way towards Saudi Arabia and asked for an emergency landing at Tabuk airport.

The exact chain of events that took place within the cockpit is yet to be determined. Accounts of the incident suggest that the captain was first attacked and wounded in the process of getting the cockpit door open. The passengers and the crew members then boarded the cockpit and assisted in restraining the other pilot.

There were two other pilots who were apparently travelling on the aircraft and managed to take control and land the plane.

This particular incident therefore brings up an operational issue – how did the aircraft manage to regain its altitude despite the chaos in the cockpit?

The answer would depend upon the determination of the investigation of the flight path of the aircraft and when the other pilots gained control.

2. How did the alleged attacker get cleared to fly?

One of the largest uncertainties relates to the professional background of the co-pilot whose identity has been revealed by media reports as Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani citizen.

According to Al Jazeera, media reports had suggested that there were previous issues with his ideological beliefs in Oman. Meanwhile, according to The Wall Street Journal, based on unidentified sources, authorities in Oman had banned him from flying in the country. CNN separately reported that he had been removed from flight training due to those issues and was subsequently transferred to a different position.

However, no confirmation has yet come regarding the nature of the allegations and whether any information regarding them in the hands of authorities in Oman was conveyed elsewhere.

Past evidence of security problems does not, in itself, prove that someone was a future threat. The key question that needs to be answered by the investigation team is whether there was any past information available and, if there was, who had that information, how they came by it, and what they did about it.

According to reports from Al Jazeera, the past career of al-Hammami included working in Oman Air, and after that in some other aviation-related capacities. The background of al-Hammami and his entry into the cockpit of Flydubai aircraft would certainly come under close examination now.

UAE investigation would be particularly critical in this case as far as knowing whether there were some clear indications or not.

3. How did passengers become part of the emergency response?

The cockpit door ended up being one of the most important components of the event.

As per reports published by Al Jazeera, the injured captain succeeded in opening the door after the assault. The passengers and the crew assisted in subduing the other pilot once they got into the cockpit.

This turned out to be very important as there was significant loss of altitude at the time.

One of the passengers, Yaniv Hayoun, gained fame later on for assisting in flying the aircraft until more qualified pilots replaced him. In his report on Al Jazeera, Hayoun said that he had been watching the TV show called “Air Crash Investigation.”

This account has sparked discussion on the internet, mainly regarding what an untrained passenger could achieve in the cockpit of a modern commercial airliner.

But the larger context is far more important than the meme-fuel.

According to the accounts that have emerged thus far, the passengers played a role in restraining the attacker, and qualified pilots, who happened to be passengers on the same plane, regained control of the situation. The flight was then stabilised and landed in Saudi Arabia.

The investigators will have to determine who entered the cockpit, when he/she did so, who was controlling the flight during various stages, and how the situation was regained.

4. Why were the emergency signals changed during the crisis?

The order of transponder codes has also been made relevant for the investigation.

At first, FZ1073 transmitted 7700, which indicates to air traffic controllers a general emergency in flight. Several minutes later, it was changed to 7500, which signifies unlawful interference.

According to the Al Jazeera timeline, the first emergency code was transmitted at approximately 05:28 GMT, whereas the change to 7500 occurred around 05:35 GMT. After that, the aircraft made a turn toward Saudi Arabia and landed there in emergency mode at Tabuk.

It is also noteworthy that the code 7500 alone cannot indicate precisely what events took place in the cockpit. It is an internationally recognised code for informing the air traffic controllers about the fact that the aircraft is experiencing unlawful interference.

As reported by aviation experts cited by Al Jazeera, the crews can transmit information to the air traffic controllers through regular radio communication. Also, there is a set of procedures for the cabin crew in case of pilot incapacitation and threat to the flight deck.

5. What was the motive behind the cockpit attack?

This may well be the most important open-ended question.

As the prosecutor general of the UAE pointed out, the investigation was looking into the situation and motivation of the attack, especially about any link with terrorism or premeditation.

The UAE government eventually called this event an attempted terrorist act, while the background and ideologies of the alleged attacker were also analysed in media reports.

However, a definitive motivation has yet to be made clear by the investigators.

According to Al Jazeera, the authorities were investigating the possibility that the attacker was working on his own or belonged to an extremist organisation. There were speculations in reports about his employment and security problems in the past, but it was just a part of the investigation rather than the truth.

The other information that has come into the open includes the movement of the alleged attacker out of the region and his connections with the Gulf region. According to a report published on Al Jazeera on October 4, the Australian government is investigating such allegations.

One other thing that has been reported as being relevant in the case includes the prayer that was made by the co-pilot before the incident took place. Captain Smit Machchhar revealed the order of events, according to Al Jazeera.

It is not possible, however, for a prayer request to prove motive and intention of committing an act.

What happens next in the Flydubai investigation?

The immediate crisis came to an end with the safe landing of the plane at Tabuk and the subsequent travel of the passengers. The two pilots were injured and have received medical treatment. Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, has been commended by both Indian and Israeli authorities for his conduct in the emergency situation.

The wider investigation will most probably be centred on several different issues: the purported attack, the route of the plane, access to the cockpit, the background of the pilots and the alleged motive of the attacker.

There is also a wider aviation security issue.

Aeroplane systems are built based on the assumption that the pilots cooperate to fly an aeroplane. It appears that the situation that happened during the Flydubai case is a particularly challenging case since the threat was reportedly coming from inside the cockpit.

It is said that the aviation analysis provided by Al Jazeera pointed out the procedures that could be used in the event of the pilot being incapacitated, as well as security threats and any form of interference from outsiders. However, the issue that has been recently discussed is how those procedures are supposed to be used when one of the members of the crew becomes the source of the threat.