Story perspectives

Omani Co-Pilot Tried to Crash Flydubai Jet, UAE Says

By Drooid · Oct 10, 2026, 11:30 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said an Omani co-pilot tried to crash a Flydubai plane into Ben Gurion Airport.
The 29-year-old co-pilot attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe during the September 30 flight.
Captain Machchhar opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to subdue the attacker.
All 174 passengers, including 166 Israelis, survived; the jet landed safely at Tabuk Airport after reserve pilots stabilized it.
Investigators said the co-pilot used two prior Tel Aviv trips to scout the route and airport.

History

Historical Context

The September 11, 2001 attacks, carried out by 19 al-Qaeda hijackers, triggered the FBI’s massive PENTTBOM probe and led nations to tighten airport security. Decades later, on 30 September 2024, Flydubai co-pilot Abdulrahman Al-Mansoor’s attempted cockpit breach in Dubai echoed those 2001 tactics, prompting Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority and the ICAO to tighten cross-border vetting.

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Story summary

UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said an Omani co-pilot tried to crash a Flydubai plane into Ben Gurion Airport.
The 29-year-old co-pilot attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe during the September 30 flight.
Captain Machchhar opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to subdue the attacker.
All 174 passengers, including 166 Israelis, survived; the jet landed safely at Tabuk Airport after reserve pilots stabilized it.
Investigators said the co-pilot used two prior Tel Aviv trips to scout the route and airport.

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