Dentist Details Emergency Care After Flydubai Pilot Stabbed in Mid-air Attack

Musae​v Shota, an Israeli dentist on board flydubai flight FZ1073, was one of three passengers who entered the cockpit after the co-pilot stabbed captain Smit Machchhar. Acting as the sole medical professional on the flight, Shota halted severe bleeding from the pilot’s head and hands, bringing his condition to a stable state before the plane’s emergency descent. He reported that Machchhar stayed conscious, discussed his age and two children, and that his health declined slightly just before the aircraft landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

After landing, Saudi medical crews provided further treatment and confirmed the captain survived. Passengers had restrained the attacker and enabled two other pilots aboard to regain control and safely land the Boeing 737 MAX 8, which had dropped nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds.