During a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, an attacker severely stabbed Indian Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit. Passenger Musaev Shota, a dentist, provided crucial first aid to the heavily bleeding pilot, stabilizing him while other passengers restrained the violent assailant.
Flydubai Horror: Dentist Recalls Pilot’s Terrifying Injuries
The Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv descended into chaos after a violent confrontation inside the cockpit left Indian Captain Smit Machchhar seriously injured. A dentist travelling as a passenger has now described the horrifying condition in which he found the pilot and the desperate efforts to stop his bleeding.
Musaev Shota, a dentist by profession, was among the passengers who rushed towards the cockpit after the disturbance began aboard Flight FZ1073. He said he immediately realised that Machchhar had suffered serious injuries and was losing a large amount of blood.
“I didn’t wait. I saw something was wrong and ran,” Shota recalled while speaking to Israeli media.
‘His Head And Hands Were Practically Sliced Open’
According to Shota, Machchhar was in “very bad shape” and had suffered heavy bleeding from his head and hands.
“I was the only doctor on the plane. I managed to stop the bleeding, and the pilot was fairly stable until shortly before landing, when his condition deteriorated somewhat,” he said.
Speaking to CNN, the dentist described the extent of the injuries in stark terms. “His head and his hands were practically sliced open, almost severed in two,” he said.
“He was in serious condition, not critical perhaps, but serious because of the blood loss.”
The dentist said Machchhar remained conscious despite his injuries. Lying on the floor amid heavy blood loss, the pilot was still able to communicate with those around him.
“The pilot was talking to us while he was lying there and told us he was 39 and had two children. The attacker stabbed him and cursed him,” Shota told Ynet.
He later told the Associated Press that the injured pilot “was just praying the whole time and was in contact with me, and I was afraid we would really lose him.”
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Passengers Helped Restrain The Attacker
While Shota treated Machchhar, other passengers moved to restrain the alleged attacker. Reports said passengers and crew members managed to overpower the suspected assailant after the cockpit confrontation.
Shota recalled that the group restrained the attacker before the flight was diverted. The aircraft eventually made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where Saudi medical personnel took over treatment of the injured pilot.
“I understood from them that he survived and was out of danger,” Shota said.
Captain Machchhar Reportedly Stable
The Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General of India in Jeddah said they were monitoring Machchhar’s condition. The embassy said the captain was admitted to a hospital in Tabuk and was receiving medical treatment.
The mission also said it was in contact with his family and would continue coordinating with Saudi authorities to provide assistance.
The incident unfolded aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 while it was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The aircraft experienced a dramatic descent before making the emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Reports said the plane was carrying 174 passengers, who later continued their journey to Israel on a replacement flight.
The dentist’s account offers a first-hand glimpse into the frantic moments after the cockpit confrontation, when passengers were simultaneously dealing with the alleged attacker and trying to keep the badly injured captain alive.
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