Archive · 8 Oct 2026
Dentist Recalls 45-Minute Effort to Save Flydubai Captain
A co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar on a plane flying toward Tel Aviv.
Passengers and crew stepped in to restrain the co-pilot and help with the plane.
Dentist Shota Musaev found the captain badly hurt.
He used T-shirts and ice to press on the captain’s wounds.
He kept talking to Machchhar so he would try to stay awake.
Musaev said the captain’s pulse became very low and his lips turned blue.
He urged the crew to land quickly.
The plane landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where doctors took over.
Machchhar was later transferred to the United Arab Emirates and was reported to be recovering.
Dentist Shota Musaev said he treated injured Captain Smit Machchhar for about 45 minutes aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073.
Musaev used T-shirts and ice to press Machchhar’s bleeding wounds and spoke with him to help keep him conscious.
He said Machchhar’s pulse became dangerously low and his lips turned blue, prompting him to urge a quick landing.
The flight was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where medical teams took over Machchhar’s care.
Accounts differ on who helped stabilize the aircraft, crediting passenger Yaniv Hayun in some reports and standby pilots, passengers and crew in others.
- Who
- Captain Smit Machchhar was injured in an alleged attack by co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami; dentist Shota Musaev treated him.
- What
- Musaev provided first aid while passengers and crew intervened during an in-flight cockpit emergency.
- When
- During Flight FZ1073 on September 30, according to reports.
- Where
- Aboard a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight, which made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- Why
- Machchhar was seriously injured in an alleged cockpit attack and needed urgent medical care.
Accounts crediting passenger intervention
Accounts emphasizing wider intervention
Who helped stabilize the aircraft
Accounts crediting passenger intervention
Some reports say passenger Yaniv Hayun pulled the suspect away and helped level or stabilize the aircraft before a third pilot took control.
Accounts emphasizing wider intervention
Other reports describe two off-duty or standby pilots, passengers and crew intervening to restrain the co-pilot and stabilize the aircraft.
- Flight
- Flydubai Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv
- Treatment
- Musaev said he treated Machchhar for about 45 minutes
- First aid
- T-shirts and ice were used to apply pressure to the wounds
- Reported condition
- Machchhar’s pulse fell; Musaev said his lips turned blue
- Emergency landing
- The aircraft landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
- Recovery
- Machchhar was transferred to the UAE; reports said he was making steady progress
- People aboard
- One report said 174 people were on board
Sources
‘His Lips Turned Blue’: Dentist Recalls 45-Minute Effort To Save Flydubai Pilot Smit Machchhar
'I Don't Want To Die Here' Inside Dentist's 45-Minute Battle To Save Flydubai Pilot
‘Please don't sleep, we need you’: Dentist recalls saving Captain Machchhar after cockpit attack
‘Don’t sleep…’: How dentist Shota Musaev helped save flydubai captain Smit Machchhar after cockpit attack
"There Was So Much Blood, Pulse Was Low": Dentist Who Treated Smit Machchhar
'Don't Sleep': Dentist On How He Saved flydubai 'Hero' Pilot Smit Machchhar After Attack
'Please don't sleep. We need you': Dentist reveals how he saved Captain Smit Machchhar in Flydubai flight attack
