Overview
- On Sept. 30 the Omani first officer allegedly struck Captain Smit Machchhar with a cockpit emergency axe, the jet plunged about 16,000–17,000 feet and was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia where it landed and all aboard evacuated safely.
- Machchhar, recovering in Abu Dhabi, gave hospital interviews saying he was hit repeatedly, lost and regained consciousness, tried to open the cockpit door and told himself “You can’t die like this” as he fought to survive.
- Passengers, cabin crew and other pilots, including off‑duty crew on board, restrained the attacker and two other pilots then took control to bring the Boeing 737 to a safe landing.
- The suspect, identified in reporting as Hamam al‑Hammami, remains in UAE custody while Emirati prosecutors say he planned a premeditated suicide‑style crash inspired by the Sept. 11 attacks and investigators from several countries are reviewing motive and vetting records.
- Authorities and safety officials are examining how an emergency axe was accessed and whether gaps in cross‑border pilot vetting and cockpit tool storage require operational or regulatory changes, a review that could prompt tighter crew screening and cockpit protocols.