An aviation instructor who recreated the dramatic descent of a flydubai flight in a simulator has described the experience as resembling a “vertical roller coaster,” underscoring the extreme physical forces involved when the Boeing 737 MAX 8 lost thousands of feet of altitude in a matter of seconds. flydubai flight FZ1073, operating from Dubai to Israel, plunged approximately 16,000 feet in about 30 seconds before the aircraft was levelled out and brought to a safe landing. The steep descent occurred after the co-pilot attacked the captain during the flight on Wednesday.

Alberto Paduanelli, owner of ALPA Simulation based in Sherfield on Loddon in southern England, said the manoeuvre would have placed enormous strain on the airframe as well as on the passengers and crew. His recreation of the event in a flight simulator provided a technical illustration of the rapid loss of altitude and the subsequent recovery that allowed the aircraft to regain controlled flight. According to the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general, the co-pilot used an emergency crash axe in the assault and the incident has been characterised as a terrorist attack. Sources familiar with the investigation identified the co-pilot as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national.

UAE authorities did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation of the identification, and independent efforts to contact him for comment were unsuccessful. The attack took place inside the cockpit while the aircraft was en route, prompting an immediate struggle for control that contributed directly to the sudden and severe change in altitude. Paduanelli’s simulation highlighted the severity of the forces generated by such an abrupt plunge. He noted that the rapid descent would have subjected both the aircraft structure and those on board to intense physical stress, describing the sensation as comparable to a near-vertical free fall.

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The fact that the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was subsequently stabilised and landed safely points to the decisive intervention of the remaining crew and passengers who helped subdue the attacker and restore command of the aircraft. The recovery itself required precise handling under highly unusual conditions, further illustrating the demands placed on both the airframe and the people responsible for bringing the flight to a controlled conclusion. The episode has drawn attention to the challenges of responding to an in-flight assault and to the structural resilience of modern commercial jets under extreme conditions.

Investigators continue to examine the full sequence of events, the motives behind the attack and the measures that ultimately allowed the flight to recover after the sudden loss of altitude. For those who experienced the plunge first-hand, the sensation was one of abrupt and disorienting free fall, a description that Paduanelli’s simulator work has helped convey to a broader audience. As technical and legal inquiries into the incident remain ongoing, the combination of the expert recreation and the official account continues to provide a clearer picture of both the severity of the descent and the factors that prevented a far more serious outcome.

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