Dentist Saves Indian Pilot After Midair Cockpit Attack on Flydubai Flight

A Georgian dentist living in Israel helped save an Indian pilot after a violent cockpit attack on a flydubai flight. Dr Shota Musaev was an ordinary passenger on flight FZ1073 travelling with his wife from China, via Dubai, to Israel when screams echoed through the cabin.

The Attack And Response

After hearing screams and a call for a doctor, Dr Musaev and other passengers rushed to the front of the aircraft. They found that the Omani co-pilot had attacked Indian Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit at about 34,000 feet, sending the plane into a steep descent. Before giving medical aid, Musaev helped passengers restrain the attacker using headphone cables. Two standby flydubai pilots who were travelling as passengers then entered the cockpit to help stabilise the aircraft.

Medical Treatment

Inside the cockpit, Dr Musaev found Captain Machchhar bleeding heavily from deep wounds to his head, neck, and left hand. For about 45 minutes, the dentist worked to keep the captain alive. He used T-shirts and ice packets to press the wounds while monitoring vital signs. When the captain's pulse dropped and his lips turned blue, Musaev urged flight stewards to land quickly. To keep Machchhar conscious, the dentist talked to him, asked about his children, and told him not to fall asleep. The flight was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, and Machchhar was later transferred to the UAE to recover.

Context

Commercial airline pilots undergo strict security training, but unexpected in-flight security emergencies require quick coordination between crew members and capable passengers. Such rare incidents lead to emergency landings at the nearest safe airport, where local medical and security teams take over response efforts.