Dr Shota Musaev was travelling as an ordinary passenger on flydubai flight FZ1073 when screams from the cockpit changed the course of his journey. The Georgian dentist living in Israel rushed forward with other passengers after Indian Captain Smit Machchhar was attacked in the cockpit.
He had suffered deep wounds to his head, neck and hands. The aircraft had also gone into a steep descent during the attack. Passengers managed to overpower the Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, while others helped bring the aircraft under control. Two standby pilots and a passenger entered the cockpit before the plane was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.
The doctor then spent about 45 minutes trying to keep the injured captain alive until the aircraft could land. He had no medical kit suited to the injuries and had to use whatever was available on the plane.
T-shirts, ice and constant pressure
Musaev told ABC News that he saw Machchhar lying on the floor with blood around him after the attacker had been subdued.
“I think, how (can) I help this situation for all (the passengers for all plane). How can I help? And I see one pilot on the floor, with…blood,” he said.
The dentist first tried to control the bleeding from the captain’s wounds. He used T-shirts as makeshift dressings and asked the cabin crew for ice.
“There was heavy bleeding from his head and left hand,” Musaev told The National.
He said the wounds were deep and required repeated use of ice packs. Every time he lifted the T-shirt to check the injury, the bleeding increased.
“He had very, very deep cuts, and we needed many ice packets. But every time I opened the T-shirt to check the bleeding, it would bleed more. So I pressed not very hard and with ice. All through the 45 minutes, I kept the pressure on,” he said.
He also tried to keep Machchhar conscious. To do so, he kept talking to him, asking him about his family and children, while monitoring his condition.
“I told him, ‘Please don’t sleep, we need you.’ I asked how many children he had, their names. I kept telling him, ‘Don’t be afraid, you will go back to your family, we are landing soon,’” he said.
Machchhar told him his name and age and said he was from India and lived in Dubai. He also asked the dentist for help.
“He said to me, ‘Help me, please. Help me, please. I don’t want to die here,’” Musaev recalled.
The dentist repeatedly reassured him, “Everything will be good.”
When Machchhar’s condition worsened
Musaev said the captain’s condition deteriorated during the flight. At one point, he noticed that his pulse had become very low.
“At one time, his pulse was too low, so I put his feet up, and the pulse came back,” he said.
He also noticed that Machchhar’s lips had turned blue. The dentist then told a steward that the aircraft needed to land soon.
“When I saw his lips were blue, I told the steward, ‘We need to land quickly. He doesn’t have much more time,’” he said.
The captain could also be heard asking for painkillers in videos that later circulated online. Musaev said he gave him small amounts of water but did not agree to give him medication.
“He was lying on his back, and I hesitated to lift him because I did not want rebleeding. It was dangerous to move him or give him medicines. The stewards wanted to give him medicine, but I didn’t agree,” he said.
The dentist said he relied on the captain’s ability to speak, his pulse and the colour of his lips to assess his condition during those minutes.
“If he talks, does not sleep, his pulse, the colour of his lips – these were the indicators I had,” he said.
The aircraft eventually landed safely at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where the Indian captain was handed over to medical teams. He was later transferred to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for further treatment.
ABC News reported that the captain was speaking, smiling and laughing after reaching hospital care.
‘Smit saved our lives’
Musaev has credited the other passengers and crew members who helped bring the aircraft under control. Passenger Yaniv Hayun dragged the attacker away from the cockpit and helped stabilise the aircraft before a pilot took over. Other passengers helped restrain the suspect.
The dentist said he was thinking about the passengers throughout the emergency.
He later summed up his feelings about the captain, “Smit saved our lives. Smit is a hero and I thank him for everything he did to save my family and all the passengers. It is karma, he saved our lives, and we saved his life.”
The dentist handed Machchhar over to doctors after the emergency landing and gave him a brief farewell.
“Good luck, my friend. Everything will be good,” he told him.
The captain has since received messages of support from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have praised his actions during the attack. The Indian Embassy in the UAE said on Tuesday (October 6) that the captain “continues to make steady progress and is regaining his health”.
The attack occurred on September 30 aboard FZ1073, a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. UAE authorities have described the incident as an “attempted terrorist attack”, while investigations into the co-pilot and the events surrounding the attack are underway.
