Saudi Arabia Investigates FlyDubai Incident, Israel Seeks Access

Saudi Arabia has launched an official investigation into the recent aviation incident involving a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which experienced a critical descent before making an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The investigation is being conducted by Saudi Arabia's National Center for Transport Safety (NTSC). Israeli officials, led by Ofer Vaknin, Director of the Aviation Security Department, have formally requested to participate in the inquiry, but have not yet received an invitation. The flight, FZ1073, was carrying a majority of Israeli passengers. Despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, international aviation protocols allow for joint investigations based on factors like the airline's country of registration and aircraft manufacturer. The United States will be represented by its National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) due to the Boeing 737 MAX being an American-made aircraft, and the UAE will participate as FlyDubai is registered there. The Saudi investigation will focus on the aircraft's behavior and cockpit actions, distinct from a separate criminal investigation by UAE authorities into the co-pilot's actions. A key focus for the NTSC will be understanding the cause of the steep dive the aircraft experienced, during which it lost thousands of meters in altitude rapidly. Access to the flight recorders, including the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, is considered crucial for reconstructing the events and determining the extent to which control of the aircraft was regained. Investigators aim to establish the precise cause of the sudden descent, the systems used, and the crew's subsequent actions leading to the emergency landing in Tabuk.