Italian Probe Suggests Co-Pilot Tried to Shut Down Both Plane Engines

An Italian investigation into the Flydubai incident suggests the co-pilot, Al-Hamami, may have attempted to shut down both of the aircraft's engines. The newspaper Corriere della Sera reconstructed the event minute-by-minute, reporting that Al-Hamami announced he wished to pray around 9:15 AM while the plane was at 34,000 feet on autopilot. Shortly after, he allegedly attacked the captain with an emergency axe, causing severe injuries but failing to prevent the captain from opening the cockpit door. Passengers and crew intervened to subdue Al-Hamami, while authorities in the UAE have classified the act as an attempted terror operation.

Around 9:21 AM, realizing his initial plan was not succeeding, Al-Hamami reportedly disengaged the autopilot, seized the controls, and pushed the aircraft's nose down, causing it to plummet 16,000 feet in under a minute. This steep dive, described as a "vertical roller coaster," led to extreme speeds and passengers being thrown around the cabin. The Italian report's key finding is the indication that Al-Hamami also tried to stop both engines by moving their fuel switches to the CUTOFF position, which would halt fuel flow. This theory is supported by the emergency lighting activating, potentially due to the plane losing its main power source and relying on battery. The investigation is still examining this possibility, and no official confirmation has been issued.

The aircraft continued to lose altitude even after the initial dive was arrested, which could indicate a loss of thrust. Two off-duty pilots on board later entered the cockpit, helped stabilize the plane, and data suggests the engines may have been restarted in mid-air. The investigation is also scrutinizing Al-Hamami's hiring process at Flydubai, with reports of prior concerns about his ideological extremism and a previous reassignment from a flying role at Oman Air. Australian authorities are also reviewing his studies and connections there. Investigators are examining videos Al-Hamami filmed in 2023 showing Israeli aircraft at Dubai Airport and are trying to determine who managed his social media accounts and if there were any prior warning signs.

The incident has also sparked a broader safety discussion regarding the presence of accessible emergency axes in cockpits and whether cockpit door security mechanisms, designed to prevent external intrusion, could hinder a crew's ability to regain control if the threat originates from within the cockpit itself.