UAE attorney-general alleges a Flydubai co-pilot attacked the captain on September 30, 2026.
Why it matters: The allegation puts crew vetting, cockpit access and in-flight emergency procedures under scrutiny. The alleged attacker was already authorized to enter the flight deck, but investigators have not settled the circumstances or motive.
- The co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe on September 30, 2026.
- Flight FZ1073 descended sharply over Saudi Arabia; a reconstruction estimated a 16,625-foot drop in just over 30 seconds.
- Passengers and crew intervened after the captain opened the cockpit door, and the aircraft landed at Tabuk Airport.
- The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority is reviewing operational and security aspects of the incident.
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, 2026, when, according to UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar inside the flight deck with the aircraft's crash axe and tried to take control, Reuters reported.
The aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, according to the same Reuters account. It descended sharply over Saudi Arabia. Reuters described the drop as more than 16,000 feet, while Al Jazeera's flight-tracking reconstruction estimated 16,625 feet in just over 30 seconds. That figure is a calculated reconstruction, not an official flight record. The aircraft later levelled at roughly 15,000 feet.
The captain opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene, according to Flydubai's initial statement. The aircraft landed at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Flydubai said everyone was safe and accounted for, while some crew members were hospitalized. The airline said the motives were unknown.
Al Shamsi described the incident as an attempted terrorist act while saying investigators were examining the circumstances, motives, possible links, and physical and digital evidence. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority said it was reviewing operational and security aspects in coordination with other authorities, according to its statement.
The available account remains provisional. The materials do not establish a motive, confirm any prior security finding about the co-pilot, or show that any separate flight-service decision was caused by this investigation.
By the numbers
- 16,625 feet - Al Jazeera's reconstructed estimate of the descent, rather than an official flight-record figure.
- Just over 30 seconds - estimated time for the reconstructed descent.
- 15,000 feet - approximate altitude at which the aircraft later levelled off.
Yes, but: The central allegation comes from the UAE attorney-general, and the investigation is ongoing. Flight-tracking figures are reconstructions, not an official flight record, and the motive remains unknown.
What's next: The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority is reviewing operational and security aspects while investigators examine the circumstances, motives, possible links, and physical and digital evidence.