Both engines of the flydubai aircraft involved in a cockpit attack may have stopped operating during its steep descent, retired US Navy and American Airlines pilot Steve Scheibner has suggested.
Speaking to broadcaster Piers Morgan, Scheibner said information he had received and videos from the incident indicated a possible loss of engine power. However, the supplied report does not establish engine failure as a confirmed finding of the investigation.
His assessment adds another question to the inquiry into the September 30 incident aboard Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv before diverting to Saudi Arabia.
Pilot raises possibility of engine shutdowns
Scheibner pointed to the reported illumination of emergency evacuation lights inside the cabin as the basis for his assessment that both engines may have stopped during the dive. He also suggested that the off-duty pilots who entered the cockpit may have needed to restart the engines while recovering the aircraft.
These statements remain his interpretation of the available information. The supplied account contains no official technical findings confirming the engines’ condition or explaining why the cabin lights illuminated. Determining the sequence of events would require examination of aircraft systems, recorded flight information and other evidence gathered by investigators.
Aircraft reportedly plunged around 18,000 feet
According to the report, flight data showed the Boeing 737 descending approximately 5,500 metres, or 18,000 feet, in roughly 30 seconds. Investigators said co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked Indian Captain Smit Machchhar with an axe inside the cockpit while attempting to take control of the aircraft. The supplied article reports that investigators described the incident as a terrorist attack.
The precise cause of the sudden descent remained unclear. The report did not confirm whether the co-pilot manipulated or damaged flight controls, disengaged the autopilot or caused the aircraft to enter the dive through another action.
Captain and passengers praised for intervention
Scheibner praised Captain Machchhar’s response during the attack and the passengers who intervened as the emergency unfolded. According to the account, a woman near the front of the cabin noticed the cockpit struggle and alerted her husband. Other passengers subsequently joined the intervention, helped restrain the co-pilot and removed the injured captain so he could receive medical attention.
Off-duty pilots entered the cockpit and helped recover control of the aircraft. The flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely, and the co-pilot was handed over to authorities. Scheibner described the coordinated response as crucial to averting a potentially catastrophic outcome.
Investigation examines planning and motive
The supplied report says investigators were examining indications that al-Hammami acted alone and intended to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport or another building in Tel Aviv.
It also cites two Israeli officials who told Reuters that the co-pilot said during questioning that he had planned the attack before joining flydubai. These claims should remain attributed to the officials and investigation accounts reporting them.
The inquiry must establish both the alleged attacker’s actions and the technical sequence inside the cockpit. Scheibner’s engine-shutdown assessment introduces a possible explanation for part of the emergency, but it remains separate from confirmed investigative findings.
