- Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot, was stabbed but saved 174 lives on flydubai flight FZ1073
- Israeli dentist Musaev Shota provided emergency aid to Machchhar, stopping his heavy bleeding
- Machchhar remained conscious and communicated despite serious injuries during the flight
Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot of the flydubai flight, was losing a massive amount of blood and fighting unconsciousness after being stabbed by his co-pilot. Still, he managed to open the cockpit door and save the lives of 174 people on board, said an Israeli dentist who was a passenger on the plane.
Musaev Shota, a dentist by profession, was one of four passengers who first rushed toward the cockpit aboard Flight FZ1073 as the Omani co-pilot allegedly tried to crash the aircraft. After helping overpower and restrain the suspected attacker, Shota was the first person who treated Machchhar, providing emergency medical treatment that helped save his life.
Talking to an Israeli media outlet, Ynet, Shota recalled the moments of horror and said, "I didn't wait. I saw something was wrong and ran."
He called that Machchhar "in very bad shape, with heavy bleeding from his head and hands."
"I was the only doctor on the plane. I managed to stop the bleeding, and the pilot was fairly stable until shortly before landing, when his condition deteriorated somewhat," he said.
Shota told CNN that the pilot was covered in cuts. "His head and his hands were practically sliced open, almost severed in two," Mosaev said.
“He was in serious condition, not critical perhaps, but serious because of the blood loss."
The dentist also recalled that the injured pilot remained conscious and communicated with them while lying in his pool of blood on the floor.
"The pilot was talking to us while he was lying there and told us he was 39 and had two children. The attacker stabbed him and cursed him," he told Ynet.
While talking to the Associated Press, he said, the wounded pilot "was just praying the whole time and was in contact with me, and I was afraid we would really lose him.”
Video footage on social media showed two men on the plane's floor, bloodied and wounded.
According to the dentist, after the plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, a Saudi medical team took over the treatment of the wounded pilot. "I understood from them that he survived and was out of danger," he said.
'The Pilot Is Stable'
Later, India's Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General of India in Jeddah said they were closely monitoring the health condition of Captain Machchhar, who was injured after helping avert a major in-flight crisis.
In a statement posted on X, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh said both Indian missions in Saudi Arabia had been following developments related to Captain Machchhar's medical condition.
According to the embassy, the pilot is currently admitted to a hospital in Tabuk City in northwest Saudi Arabia and is receiving necessary medical treatment.
The mission said it was awaiting a detailed update on his health, but initial reports indicated he was stable.
"We hope that he recovers from his injuries at the earliest," the embassy stated.
The Indian mission also said it was in touch with Captain Machchhar's family and assured them it would extend all possible assistance in coordination with Saudi authorities.
"We are in touch with his family and assure them that we will continue to follow up on his health with Saudi authorities and extend all possible assistance for his well-being," the statement added.
