Flydubai Pilot Attack: How Cockpit Doors Work and Emergency Signals

The fate of Flydubai Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv may have been different had it not been for the quick thinking of passengers and the relief crew, and likely the pilot who was stabbed by his co-pilot. Without their intervention, the co-pilot might have succeeded in crashing the plane. Following the incident, Globes spoke with Alon Peretz, a former El Al captain who now runs a program to combat flight anxiety, to explain cockpit security protocols and emergency signals.

Since the September 11th attacks, cockpit entry regulations have been significantly tightened. Generally, pilots must open the cockpit door from the inside for anyone to enter. In Israeli airlines, this practice was already in place before 2001. Current global standards mandate a two-level security system: access via a key or code, and internal deadbolts controlled from within the cockpit. This prevents unauthorized individuals, such as hijackers, from accessing the flight deck. Many airlines now use reinforced, double doors that open sequentially, ensuring one remains locked while the other opens. Peretz suggests that in the Flydubai incident, the stabbed pilot likely opened the door himself, as cockpit doors on a 737 are relatively small and can be opened from the pilot's seat.

Peretz acknowledged that despite security measures, a determined lone actor, like a pilot intending to crash the plane, still poses a risk. He cited the 2015 Germanwings crash, where a co-pilot locked himself in and deliberately crashed the aircraft, killing 150 people. Current regulations do not prohibit a single pilot from remaining alone in the cockpit, a situation Peretz believes may have also occurred in incidents involving Air India and a Chinese plane that nosedived.

The emergency transponder code 7700, indicating a general emergency, was transmitted from the Flydubai aircraft. This code was likely activated after the assailant was subdued, signaling the need for an emergency landing, rather than the code for a hijacking (7500). Activating the transponder is not a single button press but requires a sequence of inputs, similar to an old rotary phone dial or a simple safe mechanism. Peretz believes either the stabbed pilot or the relief pilot who overpowered the attacker transmitted the code.

The aircraft's sudden dive from 34,000 feet to 20,000 feet suggests the autopilot was disengaged, likely due to a jolt to the controls that triggered a safety mechanism. This is a standard method for a pilot to regain manual control. The plane landed with part of its tail detached, an event Peretz attributes to the violent dive, possibly occurring mid-air. While a 737 MAX is considered reliable, the tail's directional fin was torn off. However, this component is not critical for landing unless there are significant crosswinds, which were apparently not a factor. The aircraft could be controlled using the ailerons on the wings and the elevator on the horizontal stabilizer, which appeared to be intact.