Saudi Arabia launching its own air safety probe into flydubai attack, sources say

Saudi Arabia has launched an air accident probe following last week’s cockpit stabbing and attempt to crash a flydubai jet, as experts examine any fallout for aviation safety alongside a separate UAE-led criminal investigation, three people close to the matter told Reuters Wednesday.

Safety probes designed to keep flights safe are normal after accidents but are not mandatory when a deliberate act is involved, such as the suspected attempt by a copilot to bring down the Israel-bound flydubai jet on September 30.

Until now, it has remained unclear whether Saudi Arabia would go ahead with such a probe, which experts say could test a system of international cooperation designed to make recommendations for safety without attempting to assign blame.

People close to the matter said Saudi Arabia had notified specialist aviation agencies abroad that it would carry out a safety investigation under international rules into Flight FZ1073, which was in Saudi airspace when the Omani copilot, Hamam al-Hammami, attacked the Indian captain with an axe before trying to crash the plane, but was thwarted by the captain and several passengers.

Saudi Arabia’s National Transport Safety Center, which has responsibility for accident investigations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Saudi government and the country’s regulator also did not answer requests for comment.

The US National Transportation Safety Board, which would be closely involved in any probe because the Boeing 737 MAX jet that survived a steep plunge was designed and built in the United States, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Officials in the UAE did not respond to requests for comment. Under international rules, the UAE would also automatically be involved because the jet is registered there and the airline is based in Dubai.

The UAE has already opened a separate criminal investigation into the incident, which its prosecutor general has called a “terrorist attack.”

Israeli officials with knowledge of the probe told Reuters that the copilot told UAE interrogators he planned an attack in which he would crash a plane full of Israelis even before he was hired by the Dubai-owned airline. A third source briefed on the UAE probe told Reuters that Hammami had planned to crash last week’s flight into Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. He had also operated a flight to Tel Aviv earlier this year and intended to hijack and crash the plane then, but ultimately opted not to, the source added, confirming earlier reports.

Israel, whose citizens made up nearly all the 172 people on board, has offered to take part in any Saudi-led safety investigation but has not so far been invited to take part, the head of the country’s air accident agency told Reuters.

“We are still waiting for a notification from Saudi Arabia to invite us to take a part in the investigation,” Ofer Vaknin, director of the Aircraft Safety Investigation Authority, said.

Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have official diplomatic relations, though experts say the decades-old system of cooperation on preventing accidents, which is widely credited with a sharp reduction in the accident rate, can cross political lines.

Shin Bet interrogators have since flown to the UAE to participate in the questioning of Hammami, The Times of Israel learned Monday. Israeli security officials approved the development for publication, though the Shin Bet has declined to comment.