How A Cockpit Safety Tool Became The Terrorist’s Weapon
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
to hack through wreckage after a crash. Last week, a FlyDubai co-pilot used it to attack his captain and try to turn an Israel-bound plane into a missile. That's not a malfunction of a safety tool.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
The co-pilot accused of attacking his captain aboard an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight last week used the cockpit’s own emergency crash axe and was attempting a terrorist attack, United Arab Emirates authorities said Saturday.
UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi told the country’s state news agency that investigators had determined the co-pilot set out to commit a “terrorist act” aboard Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.
It was the first time officials had identified the weapon. Initial passenger accounts had reportedly pointed to a knife. Large commercial aircraft generally carry a crash axe that crews can use to cut their way out of the cockpit during an emergency.
About two and a half hours into the trip, the Boeing 737 MAX dropped sharply and broadcast a general emergency code before switching to the code for unlawful interference, or hijacking, Israel scrambled fighter jets, and once the cockpit was secured the plane diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
There were 174 passengers on board, 27 of them children, nearly all of them Israeli, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Daily Wire previously reported that Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, got the cockpit door open despite his wounds, letting in two off-duty pilots who landed the aircraft.
Passengers restrained the co-pilot. Machchhar joined FlyDubai in 2022 after 11 years at SpiceJet and has logged more than 9,750 hours on Boeing 737s, according to Ynet Global. He was airlifted to Abu Dhabi after initial treatment in Tabuk, and the Indian embassy in the UAE said Thursday he was recovering well.
Speaking to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by video from his hospital bed, he said he was on the floor, injured, when he felt the plane descending.”I told myself to go for one last push to open the door from inside,” he said.
Netanyahu has said the attacker was an Omani national. CNN reported his name as Hamam al-Hammami, but officials have not confirmed it. The outlet also reported that Oman Air pulled him out of flight training over concerns about radical views.
Netanyahu told Fox News that once subdued, the man begged the crew to kill him, and he said it appeared highly likely the co-pilot meant to bring the plane down. FlyDubai has suspended all flights to and from Israel until the investigation is finished, and UAE authorities say they are still working to establish the attacker’s motives and any wider conditions.
Create a free account to join the conversation!
Original source:
Read at Daily WireHow We See It
New Republican Times Editorial Board
to hack through wreckage after a crash. Last week, a FlyDubai co-pilot used it to attack his captain and try to turn an Israel-bound plane into a missile. That's not a malfunction of a safety tool. That's a security failure with wings on.
UAE investigators say the co-pilot set out on a terrorist mission and used the cockpit's own equipment as the weapon. Think about that. Every airline in the world mounts this axe where a pilot can reach it, and every airline trusts that the pilot reaching for it is sane. We've spent two decades screening passengers for nail clippers while the people who actually fly the plane are handed a hatchet. The insider threat is the gap in the armor, and this attack proves it's not theoretical.
The good news is that the captain survived, fought back, and the plot failed. The better news is that the UAE didn't spin this as a "workplace dispute" or a mental health episode. They called it what it was: an attempted terrorist attack. That matters. When authorities name the enemy honestly, they can fix the hole he exploited. Crew vetting and cockpit access rules need a hard look, especially on flights to Israel.
And yes, this is exactly the kind of threat that makes America's security posture look sane. We get mocked for travel bans and enhanced vetting, but the enemy keeps finding creative ways inside. This time he was already inside. So let's not pretend the answer is more plastic bags at security. The next aviation rule should come from what happened in that cockpit, not from what fits in a carry-on.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.