“Influenced by extremist ideas”... Al Arabiya sources reveal special details about the Flydubai co-pilot

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While the details of the Flydubai incident are still unfolding, Al Arabiya sources revealed that the co-pilot of Flight 1073 heading to Tel Aviv spent most of his time outside the Sultanate of Oman, especially in Syria, and was influenced by extremist ideas during his stay there.

The sources also stated that the co-pilot himself was named Humam Al-Hammami, and he had left Oman after the Omani authorities prevented him from practicing the aviation profession before he went to the Emirates.

On board Flydubai flight FZ1073, the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned into a state of emergency, after the co-pilot stabbed the Indian pilot.

During the flight, the aircraft transmitted code 7700, used to indicate a general emergency, before later transmitting code 7500, intended to report unlawful interference or possible hijacking, and then returned to transmitting code 7700.

Flight tracking data also showed changes in altitude and trajectory, while available information indicated that the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane, after changing its course, landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, while information stated that all passengers were fine.

Subsequently, the Emirates News Agency reported that the Attorney General directed the formation of a team of members of the Public Prosecution to investigate the Flydubai incident flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. This comes as Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath correspondent reported that the Saudi authorities are continuing their investigations into the Flydubai incident and that the Flydubai plane is still present at Tabuk Airport, indicating that the handling of passengers on the damaged plane was in accordance with international protocols.

In the same context, Saudi pilot Captain Issam Al-Saadawi says that cockpit recordings are one of the most important keys to the investigation, as they reveal the events that preceded the declaration of a state of emergency.

He explained that the recordings may help determine the nature of the dialogue between the pilot and his co-pilot, the sounds inside the cabin, and whether there was another person, as well as reconstruct the sequence of events that preceded the change in the flight path.

The crew's communications with air traffic control also represent an essential element in the investigation, as they can determine who sent the distress call, the nature of the condition reported, and the information the crew conveyed before landing.

He said: “If one of the pilots was injured and the other was able to communicate, the recordings will show what was said to air traffic control, how the emergency was declared, and what happened at those moments.” Data monitoring the flight path.

As for the flight data recorder, Al-Saadawi explained that it provides investigators with a wide range of technical data that helps to reconstruct the plane’s movement and the sequence of events. This data includes the plane’s speed, altitude, direction, timing of course change, and rate of descent, in addition to information related to the plane’s performance and control systems.

By matching this data with cockpit recordings, communications with air traffic control, and the aircraft's technical inspection, investigators can build a timeline that begins before the flight path changes and extends to the approach to Tabuk and landing.

Captain Pilot Al-Saadawi stressed that the pictures, videos and stories circulating cannot be a substitute for the technical investigation into an aviation accident in these circumstances.