'Please don't sleep. We need you': Dentist reveals how he saved Captain Smit Machchhar in Flydubai flight attack
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Please don't sleep. We need you': Dentist reveals how he saved Captain Smit Machchhar in Flydubai flight attack")
Captain Smit Machchhar Photograph: (Others)
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar survived alleged mid-air stabbing after a dentist treated his severe injuries for 45 minutes during the flight
Captain Smit Machchhar survived a mid-air attack on a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight after an Israeli dentist spent about 45 minutes treating severe bleeding from the pilot’s head and hand, according to the dentist’s account to ABC News. Machchhar was injured after co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, allegedly stabbed him in what was described as an attempt to crash the aircraft carrying more than 170 passengers. Machchhar has since been praised as a ‘hero’ by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is recovering at a hospital in the United Arab Emirates. The Indian Embassy in the UAE said on Tuesday that he continues to make steady progress and is regaining his health.
Dentist helps injured pilot
Dr Shuta Musaev, a Georgian dentist living in Israel, said he moved toward the cockpit after hearing screams. He helped restrain the alleged attacker before turning his attention to the badly injured pilot. "I think, how (can) I help this situation for all (the passengers for all plane. How I can help?" he said. “And I see one pilot on the floor, with...blood.” Another passenger, Yaniv Hayun, reportedly pulled the suspect away from the cockpit, took control of the aircraft and stabilised its flight before a third pilot assumed control.
Once the attacker had been overpowered, Musaev focused on Machchhar, who had suffered serious wounds to his head, neck and hands. Speaking to The National from Holon, south of Tel Aviv, Musaev said, “There was heavy bleeding from his head and left hand.” He initially used T-shirts to apply pressure to the wounds, but the bleeding continued. "I asked the stewards for ice," he said. "He had very, very deep cuts and we needed many ice packets. But every time I opened the T-shirt to check the bleeding, it would bleed more. So I pressed not very hard and with ice. All through the 45 minutes, I kept the pressure on," Musaev said.
He also tried to keep the captain conscious by talking to him throughout the ordeal. "I told him, 'Please don't sleep, we need you.' I asked how many children he had, their names. I kept telling him, 'Don't be afraid, you will go back to your family, we are landing soon,'" he added.
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‘I don’t want to die here’
According to Musaev, Machchhar told him his name and age, said he lived in Dubai and was originally from India. The injured pilot also asked for help with the pain. "Everything will be good," Musaev said he told him. “He said to me, 'Help me, please. Help me, please. I don't want to die here.'” Musaev added, "He was cut badly and would say, 'I'm feeling hot on my hands.' I kept telling him that he would be OK."
The dentist said Machchhar remained on the cockpit floor as the situation became increasingly critical. At one point, Musaev noticed that the aircraft was descending and made what he described as one last push to open the cockpit door. As the captain’s condition deteriorated, Musaev said he raised his feet in an attempt to help restore his pulse.
"At one time, his pulse was too low, so I put his feet up and the pulse came back," he said. "When I saw his lips were blue, I told the steward, 'We need to land quickly. He doesn't have much more time'."
Dentist refused painkillers
Videos circulating online showed Machchhar asking for painkillers. Musaev said he instead gave the captain small amounts of water and declined to administer medication because of the severity of the bleeding. "He was lying on his back and I hesitated to lift him because I didn't want re-bleeding. It was dangerous to move him or give him medicines. The stewards wanted to give him medicine but I didn't agree."
Musaev said he repeatedly monitored whether Machchhar could speak, whether he remained awake, his pulse and the colour of his lips. He also said a small group of passengers continued searching the aircraft for possible additional attackers until the plane landed in Saudi Arabia. Once the aircraft was safely on the ground, Musaev handed Machchhar over to medical professionals. "Good luck, my friend. Everything will be good," he told the captain. Musaev said that he and his wife experienced post-traumatic stress in the days following the incident.
‘Smit saved our lives’
Reflecting on what happened aboard the aircraft, Musaev credited Machchhar with helping save the lives of those on board. “Smit saved our lives. Smit is a hero and I thank him for everything he did to save my family and all the passengers. It's karma, he saved our lives, and we saved his life.”
