Why aircraft carry crash axes: Cockpit equipment explained

An emergency axe carried aboard aircraft has come under scrutiny following revelations from the investigation into flydubai flight FZ1073, prompting questions about why such a tool is kept inside the cockpit and what it is designed to do.

Chancellor Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE Attorney General, announced that investigators had concluded that the flight’s co-pilot attempted to carry out a terrorist act, attacking the captain inside the cockpit with an emergency crash axe and attempting to take control of the aircraft.

The disclosure has attracted attention to the crash axe itself, a standard piece of emergency equipment intended for trained crew members rather than passengers, Emarat Al Youm reported.

EASY, a specialist source covering aircraft operational requirements, explains that the tool is designed to help crew members gain access to areas that may otherwise be difficult to reach during an emergency.

Its potential uses include reaching the source of a concealed fire, gaining access to wiring or components behind aircraft panels, and removing certain barriers or sections of cabin material to reach a problem area.

The axe is not intended to open aircraft doors or emergency exits, which operate through dedicated systems and procedures.

Why is it kept in the cockpit?

The principal purpose of a crash axe is to give crew members a tool capable of cutting through or removing certain materials quickly when immediate access is required during an emergency.

For that reason, it is generally positioned where trained crew can reach it while remaining unavailable to passengers during normal operations.

The equipment is specifically designed for use in an aviation environment and differs from an ordinary household or industrial axe.

US Federal Aviation Regulations require aircraft accommodating more than 19 passengers to carry a crash axe.

Other operational rules stipulate that the equipment must be accessible to crew members while being kept out of passengers’ reach during normal flight operations, according to the Legal Information Institute.

The renewed attention surrounding the tool follows the FZ1073 investigation, in which prosecutors allege that the emergency equipment was used in circumstances entirely outside its intended safety function.