The question that emerged after the terrifying Flydubai cockpit attack was simple: how did a pilot manage to carry a knife into the cockpit of a passenger aircraft?
Also Read: Was Flight FZ1073 Meant To Be Israel’s 9/11?
The answer emerging from sources familiar with the matter is even more startling. The weapon may not have been a knife at all, but the crash axe kept inside the cockpit as emergency equipment.
Sources familiar with the matter told Times Now that the Omani co-pilot may have used the aircraft’s crash axe during the attack on Indian-origin Captain Smit Machchhar. There is no official confirmation yet from Flydubai or Saudi authorities on the exact weapon used, but Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu told media outlets that Machchhar was attacked with a crash axe.
A crash axe is a standard emergency tool carried on commercial aircraft. Aviation regulations require such equipment to be available to flight crews for use in emergencies. European aviation rules, for instance, specify that aircraft above a certain weight or passenger capacity must carry at least one crash axe or crowbar in the flight crew compartment.
The attack left Machchhar seriously injured as Flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 174 people, plunged thousands of feet while flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Despite suffering severe injuries to his head and hands, with one doctor aboard the plane saying that his hand had suffered a deep cut – the captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to enter and overpower the co-pilot.
Accounts from passengers and Israeli officials said Machchhar was bleeding heavily. He was taken to a hospital in Tabuk after the aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia and later underwent surgery. Reuters reported that he was in stable condition.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Machchhar’s actions an act of “extraordinary bravery”, saying the Indian captain fought back, resisted and opened the cockpit door, enabling passengers and crew to overpower the attacker and preventing a potentially catastrophic disaster.
US President Donald Trump also praised Machchhar as a hero after speaking with Netanyahu about the incident. Trump said the pilot was in “very bad shape” but nevertheless had the presence of mind to unlock the door, fall back and call for help.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the captain’s wife and parents and applauded his bravery, according to government sources. The Indian government has said its missions are providing all possible assistance to the pilot and his family.
The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said Machchhar was receiving treatment at a hospital in Tabuk and was in stable condition. India and Saudi Arabia have been coordinating assistance for him.
Machchhar’s actions came at a critical moment. The aircraft had suffered a dramatic loss of altitude, Israeli fighter jets had been scrambled and the flight had transmitted emergency signals. After Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, passengers entered and restrained the alleged attacker and helped bring the situation under control.
Two additional Flydubai pilots travelling on board then took over and landed the aircraft safely in Tabuk.
The incident has now triggered a wider aviation-security review, including questions about pilot vetting and cockpit security. Israel has said it will tighten security checks on pilots flying into the country. Flydubai has also suspended flights to and from Israel while the investigation continues.