FlyDubai plane survived the unthinkable – new details of the incident

New data on the incident with FlyDubai flight 1073: the Boeing 737 MAX pitched down at a 39-degree angle, accelerated to 0.96 Mach, and experienced a load factor exceeding 3G. The aircraft lost 17,400 feet in 92 seconds, damaged its rudder, but was recovered from the dive and landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The first officer attacked the captain; control was taken over by pilots from among the passengers.

New data on the incident with FlyDubai flight 1073, published by the Wall Street Journal and relayed by Maariv, reveal extreme parameters of the event. The Boeing 737 MAX, which departed Dubai at 7:05 AM with over 170 passengers and crew, entered a dive at a 39-degree angle (normal descent is about 3 degrees). The aircraft accelerated to 0.96 Mach, exceeding the maximum design speed of 0.82 Mach, and experienced a load factor of 3.08G (design limit is 2.5G). In 92 seconds, 17,400 feet of altitude were lost; the most dangerous segment was a descent from 31,600 to 16,600 feet in 55 seconds. Part of the rudder broke off. According to preliminary data, the first officer attacked the captain. After recovery from the dive, there was a second episode of rapid descent. Two pilots from among the passengers took control. The crew declared an emergency, then 'unlawful interference'. The damaged aircraft flew for over an hour to the alternate airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Aviation specialist Tony Farina expressed doubts about the aircraft's return to service without a full inspection. The incident has again raised the issue of cockpit security and the threat from within.