Aviation lecturer Marco Chan says "someone had to be pushing hard on the controls" but that a body falling against a column can also produce large inputs
Marco ChanSenior lecturer in aviation operations at Kingston University and former airline pilot, quoted by CNN
Marco Chan, a senior lecturer in aviation operations at Kingston University, told CNN that "someone had to be pushing hard on the controls" during the descent of flight FZ1073, likely resulting in a physical "tug-of-war" because the plane's two flight control columns are mechanically linked. He added that "a body falling against a column can also produce large inputs." He said the rate and gradient of the descent suggest the aircraft "very likely" went beyond its maximum operating speed, and that investigators will likely examine the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder first to see each pilot's control inputs and what was said on the flight deck.
“someone had to be pushing hard on the controls”
Original text
Original post
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did a flydubai pilot try to crash Israel-bound flight FZ1073?
On September 30, 2026, flydubai flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, dropped sharply in altitude en route, transmitted emergency transponder codes and landed at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. flydubai said an altercation occurred in the flight deck, and the Tabuk airport said both pilots were taken to hospital. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and "apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board," and Defense Minister Israel Katz called the incident "an attempted jihadist terrorist attack." flydubai said the reasons and motives were unknown and subject to a formal investigation. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and Saudi Arabia's National Transport Safety Center opened investigations. As of September 30, 2026, no investigating authority had reported findings, and we did not locate a public report that anyone had been charged. The disputed claim is whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash the aircraft.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Flightradar24's own post, updated during September 30, 2026. It reports ADS-B data and quotes flydubai's statements. It says multiple outlets reported a physical altercation between the pilots and does not say what happened in the flight deck. The archived copy is cited because the live page was not reachable at the time of reading.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Original post
About this source
Flightradar24 says it observed extreme fluctuations in the transmitted altitude data, with calculated vertical speeds from about minus 30,000 to plus 10,000 feet per minute.
Reporting
About this source
CNN's live page, updated through the afternoon of September 30, 2026. This entry reports Chan's comments on what the descent suggests about control inputs and what investigators will examine. The linked archive copy was captured at 13:19 UTC, before this entry was added.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
CNN published the comments in its live coverage on the afternoon of September 30, 2026, after Flightradar24 had posted its altitude and vertical-speed data and before any investigating authority had reported findings. The entry opens with an unnamed aviation expert quoted on the speed of the plunge, which it says was many times the rate of a planned emergency descent, and CNN does not say whether that expert is Chan.
After the quotation
Chan said investigators will also interview the crew, the off-duty pilots and passengers and examine how the cockpit door was opened, how the weapon came aboard and the first officer's medical and training history. Flightradar24 said that before the 7700 code its calculated vertical speeds ranged from about minus 30,000 to plus 10,000 feet per minute and that vertical speeds in normal operations rarely exceed 4,000 feet per minute either way.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. Chan said the descent indicates sustained pressure on the controls and likely a physical struggle over them, but he also said a body falling against a column can produce large inputs. He did not say any input was deliberate or that the pilot intended to crash the plane, and he pointed to the recorders for evidence on control inputs. We labeled it Mixed or conditional because the statement supports a struggle over the controls without deciding whether any input was deliberate.
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More from this case
Read the full casePresident Trump says "They said he wanted to crash. They don't know that."
“It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot. ... I don’t know if it’s true ... They said he wanted to crash. They don’t know that. They don’t know that kind of information.”Read statement
UAE aviation regulator calls FZ1073 a "security incident" under investigation and urges the public not to pre-empt the findings
General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates
“a security incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv has been brought under control ... its investigation teams, in coordination with the relevant authorities, are working to establish the cause and circumstances of the incident, including a review of operational and security aspects.”Read statement
flydubai says the "reasons and motives" behind the flight-deck altercation "are unknown" and urges all parties to avoid "premature speculation"
flydubai
“At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation. We urge all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.”Read statement
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- Aviation lecturer Marco Chan says "someone had to be pushing hard on the controls" but that a body falling against a column can also produce large inputs
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/3859-marco-chan-a-senior-lecturer-in-aviation-operations
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The Dispute Index. "Aviation lecturer Marco Chan says "someone had to be pushing hard on the controls" but that a body falling against a column can also produce large inputs". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3859-marco-chan-a-senior-lecturer-in-aviation-operations