Saudi Arabia has initiated an air accident probe following the cockpit stabbing incident on a flydubai jet last week. The investigation will examine the incident's impact on aviation safety, alongside a separate UAE-led criminal investigation. According to international rules, safety probes are conducted to make recommendations for safety without assigning blame. The incident involved a Boeing 737 MAX jet that was in Saudi airspace when the co-pilot attacked the captain with an axe.
The safety investigation will be carried out under international rules, with Saudi Arabia's National Transport Safety Center taking responsibility for accident investigations. The US National Transportation Safety Board will be closely involved in the probe since the jet was made in the United States. A representative from the US National Transportation Safety Board has been assigned to the investigation. The UAE will also be involved in the probe as the jet is registered there and the airline is based in Dubai.
The incident occurred on flight FZ1073, which was bound for Israel when the co-pilot attacked the captain. There were 172 people on board, mostly Israeli citizens. The UAE has already opened a separate criminal investigation into the incident, which its prosecutor general has called a "terrorist attack." Israel has offered to take part in the Saudi-led safety investigation but has not been invited to join so far.
The international rules governing air accident investigations, known as Annex 13, grant observer status to countries with significant fatalities or injuries. However, it is unclear what happens when all passengers escape injury, as in this case. The system of cooperation on safety has demonstrated it can work across geopolitical lines, despite Saudi Arabia and Israel having no diplomatic ties.
Air accident investigations have been widely credited with sharply reducing accidents in recent decades by focusing solely on technical matters and avoiding questions of blame. The investigations have generally stayed below the diplomatic radar, allowing specialists to cooperate regardless of diplomatic ties. In 2020, aviation officials from the US and Iran jointly took part in the playback of cockpit tapes at the offices of France's BEA agency.
However, there has been growing friction in recent years over access to evidence between civil and judicial probes. In 2015, France's BEA agency went ahead with a civil safety probe after clashing with prosecutors over access to evidence following the pilot-suicide crash of a Germanwings jet. Safety officials say that even cases of deliberate action can yield lessons on topics like recruitment or cockpit safety.
The safety investigation's findings may not be published, according to one of the people close to the matter. The Saudi government and the country's regulator did not respond to requests for comment. The incident highlights the importance of international cooperation in air accident investigations and the need for safety probes to focus on technical matters rather than assigning blame.
Key points
- Saudi Arabia has launched a safety investigation into the flydubai incident under international rules.
- The investigation will examine the incident's impact on aviation safety, alongside a separate UAE-led criminal investigation.
- The incident highlights the importance of international cooperation in air accident investigations.
