Flydubai Co-Pilot Planned Ben Gurion Airport Crash, Surveyed Site: Reports

The co-pilot accused of attacking Captain Smit Machchhar aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 allegedly planned to crash the aircraft into a facility or parked plane at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport after obtaining routine landing clearance, according to Israeli media reports.

Hamam al-Hammami, who is being questioned in the United Arab Emirates, reportedly told investigators that he intended to incapacitate the captain and continue the flight normally until its final approach. The aim, according to Hebrew media accounts cited by The Times of Israel, was to delay detection and prevent intervention.

The alleged plan was thwarted on September 30 when Machchhar, despite being wounded, managed to unlock the cockpit door. Passengers and crew restrained the co-pilot, and two off-duty pilots took control before the aircraft made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carried approximately 180 passengers, most of them Israeli nationals, along with its crew.

AIRPORT VISITS UNDER SCRUTINY

Reports cited by The Times of Israel said al-Hammami had visited Ben Gurion Airport several times in the preceding months after operating flydubai flights.

He allegedly told interrogators that a June visit was devoted to gathering information and planning the attack. A plan to act in July was reportedly abandoned because a cabin crew member with whom he had a personal friendship was aboard.

Channel 13, cited by The Times of Israel, reported that al-Hammami claimed he had chosen the airline because it operated flights to Tel Aviv.

“I looked into which airline flies to Tel Aviv. That’s why I chose flydubai. I planned it even before I was accepted,” he allegedly told investigators.

The reported target differs from an earlier account in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, which cited Israeli intelligence assessments suggesting he intended to strike a skyscraper. The intended target remains part of the investigation.

HOW THE COCKPIT WAS REOPENED

According to the reconstruction published by Corriere della Sera and cited by The Times of Israel, the co-pilot attacked Machchhar with a cockpit crash hatchet after requesting a prayer break.

Passenger Tali Manes, who had accompanied her five-year-old child towards the washroom, heard a confrontation and alerted an off-duty pilot in business class.

As the off-duty pilot tried the door from the cabin, Machchhar managed to release its lock. The opening revealed the attack on the captain.

“He’s killing the pilot,” Manes shouted, according to the report.

The co-pilot then allegedly put the aircraft into a steep dive and attempted to damage its controls. Passengers entered the cockpit and overpowered him, allowing the aircraft to be stabilised before the off-duty pilots assumed command.

Saudi air traffic controllers directed the flight to Tabuk. Passengers later returned to Israel on a chartered repatriation flight, while Machchhar and the accused co-pilot were transferred to the UAE for medical treatment and questioning respectively, the reports said.

QUESTIONS OVER EARLIER WARNINGS

Investigators are also examining how al-Hammami obtained a commercial flying role despite alleged concerns during his earlier employment with Oman Air.

Sources cited by CBS News said he had undergone junior pilot training with the carrier before being reassigned to administrative duties after Omani authorities detected visits to extremist websites. He subsequently resigned, leaving around 2024, according to one source.

The Wall Street Journal reported that he completed a deradicalisation programme before joining flydubai in February 2026.

CBS News sources alleged that flydubai recruited him without conducting background checks through Omani state channels. Those claims raise questions about the screening process, but the supplied reports do not include a response from the airline to that specific allegation.

Reports also described investigators examining his online activity and earlier years in Syria as they sought to establish when and how any radicalisation occurred.

FOREIGN LINKS REMAIN UNCONFIRMED

Preliminary Israeli intelligence assessments conveyed to CBS News suggested the attack may have been a lone-wolf operation. Investigators nevertheless continued to examine possible external connections.

US President Donald Trump suggested there could be an Iranian link, telling CBS News his assessment was “based on what I’m hearing”. He also said the matter was still being investigated.

No confirmed Iranian connection was established in the accounts cited.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially said the motive was unclear. In a subsequent interview, he alleged that the co-pilot had undergone Islamist radical indoctrination, citing information from interrogations without providing further details.

Reports also differed on Israel’s role in the questioning. The Times of Israel said Israeli security personnel had not directly interrogated al-Hammami and were receiving information through Saudi and Emirati channels. Other accounts described an Israeli delegation travelling to the UAE to participate in the inquiry.

AUSTRALIA EXAMINES HIS LINKS

Australian authorities have opened an investigation into the co-pilot’s connections to the country.

“The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (VIC JCTT), comprising the AFP, Victoria Police and ASIO, can confirm it is investigating the man’s links to Australia,” an Australian Federal Police spokesperson said, according to reporting by The Guardian cited by The Times of Israel.

Sources quoted by ABC News said al-Hammami received a student visa in 2014 and studied in Australia between 2015 and 2017. The broadcaster reported that his visa was cancelled in 2019 because he was no longer enrolled in a course.

The Australian inquiry forms part of the wider effort to establish his background, possible radicalisation and whether anyone else was involved in the alleged plot.

With inputs from ANI