FlyDubai pilots taken to UAE as investigators look for clues

Kateryna Kadabashy, Bloomberg News on Oct 2, 2026

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The pilots who fought in the cockpit of a FlyDubai jet during an apparent murder-suicide mission were moved to the United Arab Emirates for further questioning while investigators seek additional information from the plane’s voice and data recorders to replay the fateful final hour of the flight.

“Following medical clearance, both pilots departed Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi on Thursday, October 1, accompanied by the UAE security team,” according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

The status of the voice and data recordings, or “black boxes,” from the aircraft’s deck hasn’t been announced. Some recorders use a continuous loop that can overwrite existing data to record newer information, meaning that in a worst-case scenario the crucial moments in the cockpit would have been erased.

The preliminary investigation in Saudi Arabia, where the Boeing Co. 737 jet carrying 174 passengers made an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport, confirmed there was an altercation in the cockpit, with the co-pilot assaulting the captain. Both men were injured during the struggle, but the statement didn’t provide further details or name the crew members.

India’s government previously identified the pilot as Smit Machchhar, while Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot is a Omani national. Neither the airline nor the UAE government has confirmed that information. Social media videos showed the bloodied crew members in the aftermath of what’s been called an attack using an ax.

Anwar Gargash, a senior foreign-policy adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, called the mid-air incident a “dangerous terrorist act.”

“Far from the easy reduction of what happened or the adoption and promotion of conspiracy theories, vigilance and caution remain essential in confronting the risks of extremism and terrorism,” he wrote in a post on X on Friday.

The nationality of the co-pilot is in the spotlight because Oman and Israel don’t have formal diplomatic ties, which restricts their citizens’ access to each other’s countries. That means an Omani crew member shouldn’t be flying a plane destined for Israel. The FlyDubai service was scheduled to land in Tel Aviv.

Israel Transportation Minister Miriam Regev called it a “a clear breach of the agreement” and asked the security agency Shin Bet to investigate, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The initial inquiry was done in Saudi Arabia in coordination with a UAE security team, which follows globally recognized aviation standards. The Chicago convention signed in 1944 stipulates that the state where the incident occurred owns the investigation, but that nation can seek assistance from the states where the plane was made and registered.

In the case of flight FZ1073, invitations may be extended to both the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration since the plane was made by Boeing and to the UAE since the plane was registered there.