While returning from Dubai to his home, Dr. Shota Musaev found himself aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073, where a co-pilot turned against the captain and drove the aircraft into a steep descent. It was he who intervened to halt the plunge.
An Israeli dentist spoke with ABC News on Thursday about his role in the cabin’s response when Capt. Smit Machchhar was attacked. He said that he and a group of passengers rushed to the cockpit without hesitation.
“I think, how [can] I help this situation for all [the passengers for all plane. How I can help,” he told ABC News in an interview at his home in Tel Aviv. “And I see one pilot on the floor, with … blood.”
The Attack in the Cockpit
During the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, an unnamed co-pilot is alleged to have attacked Machchhar with a knife and then forced the aircraft into a steep descent in an apparent bid to crash the plane.
A second passenger, Yaniv Hayun, pulled the suspect from the cockpit, took command of the aircraft, and steadied it before a third pilot assumed control and flew the jet to Saudi Arabia.
Tying Up the Suspect
Musaev claimed that after the aircraft was leveled, he observed the suspect and, together with another passenger, secured the suspect’s hands using headphones. The dentist reported that the suspect, now held in custody, spoke very little beyond stating he was from Oman and then informed him “Kill me, kill me, please.”.
“Once he had been subdued, caught, he didn’t resist,” Musaev said.
Saving the Captain
Capt. Machchhar was bleeding from his head, neck and hands, and the dentist said he immediately focused on him. Musaev then described how he started putting pressure on the wounds to stop the bleeding.
“Everything will be good,” Musaev said he told the pilot as he treated him. “He said to me, ‘Help me, please. Help me, please. I don’t want to die here.'”
After touching down in Saudi Arabia, the travelers received medical care. From start to finish, the entire incident took roughly 40 minutes.
Aftermath
He said on Thursday he was still only understanding what they had been through. “Do you understand we were five to ten seconds from dying?” he said, choking up.
The Indian consulate in Dubai says Captain Machchhar was first treated at a local hospital in Saudi Arabia before being moved to another hospital in the United Arab Emirates.
Thursday, the Indian ambassador delivered a statement, and it was there that he said “He was speaking openly, smiling and laughing, which was a great relief for us and, above all, for his family,”.
Saudi Arabian officials say the co-pilot is being held in Abu Dhabi.
One day, Musaev hopes to be reunited with the captain so that he can thank him personally for saving both himself and the rest of the passengers aboard, even while suffering from his own injuries.
“We’ll say thank you very much for all,” he said, adding that it was a collective effort in handling the situation.
Key Facts Box
- Flight: FlyDubai Flight 1073
- Route: Dubai to Tel Aviv
- Landing: Saudi Arabia
- Duration: Around 40 minutes
- Captain: Capt. Smit Machchhar
- Attacker: Unnamed co-pilot, now in custody in Abu Dhabi
Timeline of Events
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| Attack begins | During flight |
| Plane leveled | Within minutes of attack |
| Landing | Saudi Arabia |
| Medical treatment | On landing |
| Captain transferred | To hospital |
Passengers came through safely after the ordeal, which stretched on for roughly 40 minutes, with the plane touching down in Saudi Arabia, where they were given medical care.
The co-pilot is in custody in Abu Dhabi. Machchhar remains hospitalized.
What makes Musaev’s account stand out is that he describes performing an everyday task with extraordinary circumstances attached: applying pressure to stop bleeding. The moment could have gone very wrong for everyone on board.
Musaev genuinely feared for the pilot’s life, and his actions, though small, formed part of what took place.
This tale revolves around individuals lending assistance to one another after the system broke down. It centers on a dentist who turned into a hero simply by acting as any person would have acted in that instant.
A person on a troubled aircraft is not powerless. Sometimes they act, and those actions can make a difference.
Source material: “FlyDubai flight passenger details treating wounded pilot after tying up suspect,” ABC13 Houston.
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