A flight crew's routine journey turned into a fight for control of the cockpit when a FlyDubai co-pilot attacked the plane's pilot with a crash axe, sending the aircraft into a steep, unplanned dive before passengers and remaining crew subdued him. The United Arab Emirates has since described the episode as an attempted terrorist act, marking the first time officials have used that label for the incident.

The pilot was wounded in the assault but survived. Passengers, including a plumber who happened to be aboard, worked alongside remaining crew members to tie up the co-pilot and tend to the bleeding pilot while the aircraft recovered from what one aviation expert called an extraordinary dive. The plane ultimately landed safely, though the ordeal left passengers and crew shaken and, in some accounts, in direct confrontation with each other over what to do with the restrained suspect.

Accounts from passengers describe tension not just between crew and the attacker but among those on board. Crew members clashed with a group of Israeli passengers who had helped restrain the co-pilot, with some crew members reportedly demanding the tied-up suspect be freed.

Investigators have since turned up material that raises questions about the co-pilot's background and intentions. Images associated with terrorism were found on the suspect's social media accounts. Oman's aviation authorities had previously barred the co-pilot from flying in that country's airspace, citing concerns about extremism, a red flag that predated the attack. Israeli authorities are investigating whether the co-pilot intended to crash the jet in Israel and whether he may have been directed by an outside party, though the UAE has not confirmed those specifics.

The UAE's characterization of the attack as an attempted terrorist act represents the clearest official statement yet on how the incident is being classified. The co-pilot used a crash axe, a tool normally stored in the cockpit for emergency use, to strike the pilot.

The aftermath has not been confined to the investigation alone. A press conference in Ireland tied to the episode was cut short after questions arose about Israeli passengers' roles and allegations of racism.

Ordinary passengers, a bleeding pilot, and a spare crew member improvised together to avert a far worse outcome. Quick thinking in the cabin kept the aircraft in the air long enough to land.

References

1. 1.CNN — reported images associated with terrorism found on the co-pilot's social media accounts
2. 2.Associated Press — reported Oman's aviation authorities had barred the co-pilot from its airspace over extremism concerns
3. 3.Breitbart — reported the Oman flight ban and Israeli investigation into possible intent to crash the jet in Israel
4. 4.CNBC — confirmed the UAE's characterization of the attack as an attempted terrorist act
5. 5.Reuters — confirmed the UAE's terrorism characterization and detailed the use of a crash axe in the attack
6. 6.Wall Street Journal — confirmed the UAE's terrorism characterization and detailed the use of a crash axe
7. 7.New York Post — reported conflict between crew members and Israeli passengers over the restrained suspect
8. 8.Metro — reported a press conference in Ireland was cut short amid questions about Israeli passengers' roles and racism allegations
9. 9.USA Today — focused on passenger and crew response aboard the plane
10. 10.ABC News — focused on passenger and crew response aboard the plane