Omani co-pilot may have shut off flydubai plane’s engines after Tel Aviv crash plan failed

An Omani co-pilot, Hammam al-Hammami, accused of assaulting his captain on a flydubai flight, may have deactivated the engines of the Boeing 737, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The newspaper claims investigators are examining whether he moved the two engine fuel switches from the Run position to the Cutoff. Initially, al-Hammami planned to kill Captain Smit Machchhar, fly the plane to Tel Aviv, and crash it into a tall building, but when that failed, he allegedly attempted to crash the jet in the desert.

The plane plummeted 16,000 feet in around 30 seconds before passengers and two off-duty pilots regained control and landed the aircraft at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. Passengers and crew have described the attack, with one woman hearing thudding from the cockpit and alerting others. Corriere della Sera's account is based on flight crew reports, airport staff, air traffic controllers, flight-tracking data, and evidence from the struggle in the cockpit.

US officials and a former Israeli security expert suggest that the incident may have been carried out by a lone attacker. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that investigators are exploring the possibility of external involvement.