New Delhi: The flydubai flight FZ1073 cockpit attack involving Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar could have resulted in a major aviation disaster had a third pilot not been present to safely land the aircraft, Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) President Captain C.S. Randhawa said on Thursday.
Speaking to IANS, Randhawa said he had never witnessed such bloodshed inside a cockpit during his five decades in aviation. He said the exact sequence of events would have to be established through statements from the crew, passengers and the third pilot, along with evidence from the aircraft’s flight recorders.
According to Randhawa, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) will be crucial in determining when the altercation began and identifying the conversations and actions of the pilots. The Digital Flight Recorder will provide information on the aircraft’s altitude, descent and other flight parameters, helping investigators reconstruct what happened.
He also pointed out that cockpit microphones and communication systems could provide additional evidence about which pilot was speaking and what was happening inside the cockpit.
Randhawa said investigators should not jump to conclusions about the motive behind the incident. While theories about a possible deliberate act or terrorism have emerged, he said it would be premature to describe the incident as an act of terror until the investigation establishes the facts.
“If it is a case of terrorism, it becomes extremely serious,” Randhawa said, adding that investigators would then have to examine the co-pilot’s possible links with any organisation and establish his intentions.
He said that if the incident was an attempted suicide, Captain Machchhar’s actions in overpowering the attacker, along with the third pilot’s role in safely landing the aircraft, would have been critical in preventing a potential catastrophe.
“If a third pilot was not present, the aircraft would have crashed,” Randhawa said.
Explaining how a cockpit fight could potentially affect the aircraft’s flight controls, he said one of the pilots could have become unrestrained during the struggle. If a pilot’s leg had struck the control column, it could potentially have disengaged the autopilot and caused the aircraft to descend sharply.
Randhawa said the confrontation may have escalated gradually, beginning with an argument before becoming physical and eventually involving a weapon.
He identified Crew Resource Management (CRM) failure as one possible area that investigators would need to examine. He also reiterated that any possible terrorist link or motive would have to be established through a proper investigation.
Calling the incident a major wake-up call for the aviation industry, Randhawa advocated regular psychometric assessments for pilots to identify whether they are experiencing significant stress or other psychological pressures.
He said similar psychometric testing should also be considered in the Indian aviation sector as part of broader efforts to strengthen cockpit safety.
The final cause of the incident, however, will depend on the findings of the official investigation and analysis of the available flight-recording and witness evidence.
