Flydubai co-pilot allegedly tried to crash plane after hijack attempt failed

Hamam al-Hammami, the accused co-pilot in the flydubai incident (Image source: LinkedIn) The Omani co-pilot who attacked the captain of a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv may have tried to crash the aircraft in the Saudi desert after realising that passengers were about to thwart his attempt to seize control of the plane, according to an investigation by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera cited by Ynet News.The report said the co-pilot, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, after repeatedly striking Indian captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe, took control of the Boeing 737 after the injured captain activated the switch that allowed the cockpit door to be opened.Once he realised his plan to crash the aircraft would fail, he allegedly tried to bring it down in the Saudi desert.According to the investigation, the attacker disconnected the autopilot and pushed the aircraft's controls sharply forward, sending the plane into a steep descent. The aircraft lost around 16,000 feet in less than a minute.Report raises possibility engines were shut downThe Corriere della Sera investigation also raised a possibility not previously reported, that the co-pilot may have cut the fuel supply to t...