New Details Emerge on Dramatic Flydubai Terror Flight Hijacking Attempt

An Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, has published a detailed reconstruction of the attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The report, based on testimonies, tracking data, insider information, and passenger cabin video, sheds new light on the dramatic events that unfolded in the air.

According to the reconstruction, the incident began around 5:00 AM in Dubai's Terminal 3 with 174 passengers, including 27 children, boarding the Boeing 737 MAX. The flight crew consisted of Captain Smith Macher, 38, and co-pilot Hammam Al-Hamami, 29. The flight took off normally, reaching cruising altitude of 34,000 feet by 8:09 AM.

Around 9:15 AM, Al-Hamami requested to leave the cockpit to pray. Minutes later, he attacked Captain Macher from behind with an emergency axe, striking him on the head. Despite severe injuries and blood loss, the captain fought back. During the struggle, Al-Hamami blocked the armored cockpit door from the inside, preventing other crew members and passengers from entering.

At approximately 9:21 AM, Al-Hamami disengaged the autopilot and aggressively pushed the controls forward. The aircraft plunged approximately 16,000 feet in just over 30 seconds, reaching speeds over 970 km/h. Analysis of cabin videos by two consulting Boeing 737 captains suggests that Al-Hamami may have also shut down the aircraft's engines, indicated by the emergency lights in the cabin being illuminated while still airborne, suggesting a switch to battery power due to generator shutdown.

Two additional pilots, traveling as passengers, intervened. Passenger Yaniv Hayoun helped stabilize the controls, preventing the dive. Eventually, the two pilots entered the cockpit, took control, stabilized the aircraft, and restarted the engines. The crew declared an emergency, first with code 7700 and later 7500, indicating unlawful interference or hijacking. The plane was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely at 10:57 AM. The captain was hospitalized with serious injuries, and Al-Hamami was arrested.

Israeli intelligence sources reportedly believe Al-Hamami planned to murder the captain and crash the plane in Israel. It was also revealed that he had worked for Flydubai for only eight months, having left Oman Air due to suspicions of extremist views. Social media accounts linked to him reportedly contained suspicious videos of Israeli aircraft filmed from Dubai in October 2023.

Key questions remain in the ongoing investigation, including Al-Hamami's background checks, the presence of an emergency axe in the cockpit, the functionality of the cockpit door during internal emergencies, and whether the engines were indeed shut down during the dive.