Israeli dentist Dr. Shota Musaev boarded FlyDubai Flight 1073 as an ordinary passenger. Minutes later, after an attack in the cabin, he became one of the people credited with helping save the captain’s life.
Speaking to ABC News on Thursday, Musaev said he joined several passengers who rushed toward the cockpit after Capt. Smit Machchhar was assaulted. Faced with the unfolding emergency, he said he immediately looked for a way to help.
“I think, how [can] I help this situation for all [the passengers for all plane. How I can help,” he told ABC News from his home in Tel Aviv. “And I see one pilot on the floor, with … blood.”
Israeli officials said an unidentified co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar with a knife and sent the aircraft into a nose dive during its flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, apparently attempting to bring down the plane.
According to fellow passengers, Yaniv Hayun pulled the suspect away from the cockpit, took control of the aircraft and brought it level. A third pilot then assumed command and flew the plane to Saudi Arabia.
Once the aircraft had stabilized, Musaev said he and another passenger restrained the suspect by tying his hands with headphones. The man, now in custody, reportedly said little beyond claiming he was from Oman before pleading, “Kill me, kill me, please.”
“Once he had been subdued, caught, he didn’t resist,” Musaev said.
Musaev then focused on Machchhar, who was bleeding from injuries to his head, neck and hands. The dentist used pressure to treat the wounds and slow the bleeding until the plane reached the ground.
“Everything will be good,” Musaev recalled telling the captain. Machchhar answered, “Help me, please. Help me, please. I don’t want to die here.”
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The aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia, where passengers received medical care. Musaev said the terrifying incident unfolded over roughly 40 minutes.
Even days later, he said, the full danger of the episode had not completely sunk in. “Do you understand we were five to ten seconds from dying?” he said, becoming emotional.
Machchhar was initially treated at a hospital in Saudi Arabia before being transferred to a medical facility in the United Arab Emirates, according to the Indian consulate in Dubai.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Indian ambassador said the captain was “speaking openly, smiling and laughing,” a development that brought relief to the passengers and, especially, to his family.
Saudi officials said the co-pilot is being held in custody in Abu Dhabi.
Musaev said he hopes to meet Machchhar again and thank him for his actions in protecting the passengers, despite suffering serious injuries himself.
“We’ll say thank you very much for all,” Musaev said, emphasizing that the emergency was managed through a collective effort by the passengers and crew.
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