Buzz Patterson, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and former Delta Air Lines pilot, warned on Thursday that terrorist cells could exist within airline companies, particularly overseas. The alert follows the emergency landing of a FlyDubai flight in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after the copilot allegedly attacked the captain with a crash ax during a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737 carrying 174 passengers and eight crew members, made an emergency landing after the alleged assault. Investigators are currently probing the motive, considering both possible terrorism and mental health factors. Patterson stated that such cells are "certainly a possibility" and argued that the Department of Justice needs to conduct a thorough review of airline security protocols.
Patterson, who served as a pilot for 16 years, highlighted that current safety measures rely heavily on self-reporting by crew members. He noted that radicalized individuals who do not disclose their activities to their employers or colleagues remain undetected. "We have a lot of people out there that probably shouldn't be flying airplanes," Patterson said, adding that personality changes or radicalization are difficult to identify after a pilot has been hired.
The incident has raised concerns about the accessibility of cockpit tools. Patterson explained that every Boeing 737 cockpit contains a crash ax behind the copilot's seat, intended for breaking doors or windows in emergencies. He described the use of the ax as "savage" and noted that it is easily accessible to a standing copilot. He has emailed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy regarding these concerns, arguing that the current security framework leaves loopholes.
Patterson also pointed out that pilots frequently work with strangers, meeting new colleagues in the cockpit nine times out of ten. This lack of familiarity makes it difficult to assess a co-pilot's mental state or background before flight. "You never know what you're gonna bring to the table," he said, emphasizing that initial cockpit conversations cannot fully reveal a colleague's potential threats.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that the FlyDubai copilot appeared to have undergone Islamist radical indoctrination. Netanyahu identified the suspect as an Omani national who exploited a loophole in Israeli restrictions concerning pilots from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel. While Netanyahu said officials would need days to determine if the suspect had ties to Iran, President Donald Trump has already expressed the belief that such ties exist.
The former pilot urged the United States to scrutinize domestic airline hiring as well as foreign crews entering American airspace. He argued that international carriers often cast a wide net when recruiting aircrew, potentially attracting individuals who do not meet strict safety standards. Patterson concluded that while aviation security improved significantly after the September 11 attacks, further work is required to prevent similar incidents from occurring.