Georgian dentist assists injured captain after co-pilot attack on flydubai flight
A Georgian dentist on board flydubai flight FZ1073 helped stabilize the wounded captain after an Omani co-pilot stabbed him, while passengers subdued the attacker before the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia.
A Georgian dentist, Dr. Shota Musaev, who was traveling with his wife from China to Tel Aviv, said he rushed to the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 after an Omani co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe. The incident occurred about two and a half hours into the flight, prompting several passengers to intervene and restrain the assailant.
Musaev described finding the captain on the floor with deep cuts to his head and hands and a significant loss of blood. He and other passengers, including Yaniv Hayun, worked to elevate the captain’s feet and apply pressure to the wounds, noting that the captain’s pulse was very low until these measures were taken.
The aircraft was diverted and landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia roughly 45 minutes after the confrontation. Saudi health officials took over the captain’s care after the landing. The captain, a 39-year-old Indian pilot based in Dubai, reported pain but expressed a desire to recover and return to his family.
Passengers, among them two off-duty pilots, restrained the co-pilot, identified as Hamad al-Hammami, and secured him until local authorities could take custody. The swift actions of the passengers and the medical assistance provided on board were credited with preventing a potential crash.