A suspected attempt by a pilot to deliberately crash a Boeing 737 MAX en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv has highlighted growing concerns over the risk posed by rogue pilots to aviation safety. The incident on September 30 has amplified attention on intentional pilot actions as a rare but deadly threat in commercial air travel.
The pilot involved, identified as Hamam al-Hammami, reportedly attacked his captain with an emergency axe during the flight and sought to bring down the aircraft. Investigators revealed that al-Hammami had previously targeted routes to Israel and narrowly failed to carry out a similar attack in July. Middle Eastern authorities have described him as holding extremist views, and questions are being raised about how he was able to work the sensitive UAE-to-Israel route given his past.
Al-Hammami’s employment history included a period at Oman Air, where he was grounded and placed in a deradicalisation program before leaving the carrier last year. In February, he was hired by Flydubai, a rapidly expanding airline at the forefront of regional connections. Despite previous assessments deeming him unfit to fly, he was repeatedly assigned to this high-profile route, prompting a review of security and screening practices in the aviation sector.
This episode comes amid broader scrutiny of deliberate pilot-caused crashes, a phenomenon that has claimed at least 800 lives globally since 2005, according to accident data examined by U.S. officials. Among the notable incidents cited are the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in 2014, the 2022 China Eastern Airlines crash in southern China, and a 2025 Air India accident in western India. While U.S. investigations have suggested intentional pilot involvement in some cases, authorities in those countries have either withheld final conclusions or disputed these findings. The 2015 Germanwings crash, in which the first officer deliberately crashed an Airbus A320 in the French Alps, remains a widely accepted example of a deliberate act.
Experts note that while technological advances and pilot training have greatly improved flight safety, they cannot fully mitigate risks when pilot screening fails to identify individuals who may pose a threat. “The airplanes’ going to do what it’s told,” said John Cox, a former pilot union official and aviation safety consultant, emphasizing that human factors remain a critical vulnerability in the cockpit.
The Germanwings disaster led to increased awareness of pilot mental health issues and spurred regulatory changes. In Europe, authorities introduced measures requiring doctors to report severe mental health conditions to aviation regulators, and airlines established peer support programs. However, stigma and fears over repercussions for seeking help continue to inhibit pilots from accessing necessary assistance.
In the case of the 2025 Air India crash, investigators have been conducting psychological evaluations but have not publicly released a final report. The ambiguity surrounding causes involving pilot intent complicates tracking and addressing such threats.
Aviation safety experts and regulators stress that reducing stigma around mental health and ensuring that pilots can seek treatment without jeopardizing their careers are crucial steps toward preventing similar tragedies. Meanwhile, authorities examining the Flydubai incident are focusing on the failures that allowed a previously unfit pilot to operate a critical flight route, underscoring the ongoing challenges in safeguarding airline cockpits from internal threats.