'Only doctor on board:' How Israeli dentist saved Smit Machchhar's life after flydubai stabbing
Dr Shota Musayev saw Smit Machchhar on the floor, profusely bleeding from his head; he wasted no time in providing him emergency treatment, which was instrumental in his survival
An Indian pilot for flydubai sustained serious stab wounds to his head and hands during an in-flight incident. Dr. Shota Musayev, an Israeli dentist and the only medical professional on board, provided vital life-saving medical attention to the injured pilot. The dentist also played a crucial role in helping passengers overpower and restrain the aggressive co-pilot, averting a potentially catastrophic situation. The flight, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, experienced a sudden altitude drop and transmitted emergency codes, leading to an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. This event underscores the importance of passenger bravery and the critical interventions of trained professionals in aviation emergencies.
An Indian pilot for flydubai sustained serious stab wounds to his head and hands during an in-flight incident. Dr. Shota Musayev, an Israeli dentist and the only medical professional on board, provided vital life-saving medical attention to the injured pilot. The dentist also played a crucial role in helping passengers overpower and restrain the aggressive co-pilot, averting a potentially catastrophic situation. The flight, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, experienced a sudden altitude drop and transmitted emergency codes, leading to an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. This event underscores the importance of passenger bravery and the critical interventions of trained professionals in aviation emergencies.
An Indian pilot for flydubai sustained serious stab wounds to his head and hands during an in-flight incident. Dr. Shota Musayev, an Israeli dentist and the only medical professional on board, provided vital life-saving medical attention to the injured pilot. The dentist also played a crucial role in helping passengers overpower and restrain the aggressive co-pilot, averting a potentially catastrophic situation. The flight, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, experienced a sudden altitude drop and transmitted emergency codes, leading to an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. This event underscores the importance of passenger bravery and the critical interventions of trained professionals in aviation emergencies.
Flydubai's Indian pilot Smit Machchhar suffered stab wounds to his head and hands, which were serious in nature, before managing to unlock the cockpit door.
Israeli media reports said that among the passengers who rushed the cockpit and overpowered the Omani co-pilot was a medical professional whose intervention was pivotal in saving Machchhar's life. If not for a trained professional's presence, the chances of the 39-year-old making it to the hospital alive were slim, the reports said.
Dr Shota Musayev, an Israeli dentist, was the only doctor on board. He was on his way back from China and was among the first to muster the courage to run towards the cockpit when things went south. Dr Musayev took the necessary steps to stabilise Machchhar's blood pressure and stop the bleeding as he lay on the floor. In the doctor's own words, Machchhar was in really bad shape when he first saw him.
“When I heard screaming, I ran — I didn’t wait,” Dr Musayev reportedly told The Times of Israel after reaching Israel from Saudi Arabia on an alternative flight. “When I came into the cockpit, the pilot was in really bad shape, with heavy bleeding, particularly from his head. I was the only doctor on the plane, and eventually I managed to stop the bleeding and stabilise his blood pressure,” The Times of Israel reported the young medical professional as saying.
However, his heroics didn't end there. The dentist also joined the effort to overpower the aggressive co-pilot, who is the accused in the case. To ensure that he was properly contained, Dr Shota Musayev tied him up. He reportedly ensured the co-pilot had no chance of breaking free and trying another assault, managing to tie multiple knots.
“These were very hard moments, but together with a few brave people on the plane, we managed to avert a situation that was very close to a disaster,” the Israeli doctor reportedly said. “Now I just want to go home and hug my children.”
What we know so far
The flight took off from Dubai just after 6:00 am and was expected to reach Tel Aviv in about three hours. At 8:21 am, however, the aircraft suddenly dived, dropping by more than 14,000 feet in half a minute.
It was at this time that some of the passengers saw the "violent clash" inside the cockpit and managed to neutralise the co-pilot to regain control of the aircraft. Just ten minutes after it began dropping in altitude, the aircraft briefly transmitted squawk code 7700, the international transponder code for a general emergency.
Minutes later, code 7500 was activated, signalling unlawful interference with an aircraft and a possible hijacking. This led Israel to dispatch two Air Force jets to accompany the flight as it made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.