Yesterday, on a Dubai Airways flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, it was reported that the co-pilot was suspected of stabbing the captain with a knife and trying to crash the aircraft. Fortunately, after the pilot managed to press the door opener, the passengers and crew members rushed into the cockpit and subdued the co-pilot. Two other Dubai Airways pilots who happened to be on the same flight took over and made a safe emergency landing. Scholars pointed out that after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, aircraft cockpit doors all had relevant protective designs. They suggested that airlines, in addition to prior personnel assessment and screening, should also pay attention to the psychological state of the crew and even add safety configuration measures.
According to comprehensive foreign media reports, flight FZ1073 was originally scheduled to fly from Dubai to Tel Aviv. There were 174 people on board, most of whom were Israelis. Israeli officials said that the co-pilot stabbed the captain during the incident, and the passenger plane subsequently descended rapidly. The injured captain was lying in the cockpit with blood on his body, but he still managed to press the door opening device to allow passengers to enter the cockpit. After the passengers broke in, they found the co-pilot violently tapping the aircraft control panel. Several people immediately stepped forward to subdue him. There were two other Dubai Airlines pilots on board at the time. The two took over the control of the passenger plane after the co-pilot was subdued, and finally landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
Yu Haowei, a former civil aviation pilot and former fighter pilot, said that after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001, the global civil aviation industry strengthened the protective design of cockpit doors and replaced them with explosion-proof doors, which can prevent bullet penetration and are all Cockpit doors. The door lock design means that people in the cabin cannot directly push it open to enter. To enter, the pilot has to set it from the control panel. There is also an iron door anti-theft lock. Therefore, unless the driver and co-pilot have opened the setting, or the third person in the cockpit opens it, there is no solution.
Yan Jinru, a professor at the Department of Shipping Management at Taiwan Ocean University, also said that after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the United States required aircraft flying to the United States to strengthen the protective design of cockpit doors. Currently, aircraft around the world use explosion-proof doors, which are opened by pilots from the control panel settings, which means that the outside cannot enter. However, since similar incidents have not happened in the past, airlines must consider relevant responses.
Yu Haowei suggested that airlines improve company personnel management and provide psychological quality, consultation, etc. He also added that sometimes conflicts between the driver and co-pilot may be caused by the co-pilot being criticized frequently. "The driver does not have unlimited power and can bully the co-pilot." If this concept persists, similar incidents may occur.
Huang Tailin, a professor at the Department of Shipping Management at Evergreen University, suggested that in addition to prior personnel assessment and screening and regular personnel evaluation mechanisms, whether there is an emergency notification button for the front and co-pilots in the cockpit (notifying ground navigation or the rear cabin of the aircraft), or adding safety configuration measures in the cockpit (such as partitions), are all methods that can be tried.
In addition, Yan Jinru pointed out that currently, all airlines have resource management training courses for team members under the requirements of civil aviation authorities, but airlines should also actively pay attention to the mental state and family status of each team member to avoid similar incidents from happening.
Finally, in this incident, the co-pilot attacked the captain with a knife. Yan Jinru said that the acquisition of the murder weapon is also a point of concern. Since the crew still needs to undergo security inspection when entering the controlled area, if the pilot brought it on the plane by himself, the security inspection system may need to be reviewed; but if the knife and fork of the in-flight meal is used for the attack, this part also needs to consider whether the use of relevant tableware needs to be adjusted in the future.
