Israeli Dentist Helped Restrain Accused Flydubai Co-Pilot, Then Treated Stabbed Captain

Edited by Dentaltown staff

When screams broke out near the cockpit of a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight, Israeli dentist Shota Musaev ran toward them. He helped tie up the co-pilot accused of attacking the captain, then turned around and became the only medical help on the plane.

The incident happened Sept. 30 aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was carrying 174 people, most of them Israeli. According to Israeli officials, the co-pilot stabbed the captain and tried to crash the aircraft. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the captain was “stabbed or hit with an ax.” Investigators have not released details about the weapon. Flydubai described the event as an altercation in the cockpit and cautioned against premature speculation about the cause.

A Netanyahu spokesman told Reuters the wounded captain, bloodied and on the floor, managed to release the cockpit door. Passengers rushed in.

Musaev told ynet he heard the screams and didn’t wait to be called. He and several other passengers overpowered the co-pilot. According to CNN, they restrained him with headphone cords and plastic zip ties. Musaev said the man kept thrashing, so the group tied his hands and legs several times, tightening the restraints until he stopped fighting.

Then Musaev turned to the captain, whom Netanyahu identified as Smit Machchhar of India. Musaev said the pilot was bleeding heavily from his head and hands. As the only doctor aboard, Musaev worked to stop the bleeding. He said the captain stayed conscious on the floor and told the passengers treating him that he was 39 and had two children.

Meanwhile, the plane was dropping fast. Musaev said it lost a huge amount of altitude in about half a minute. “We thought we were going to die, 100%,” he told ynet. Passengers began shouting for the other pilots on board. A second set of Flydubai pilots, due to relieve the first crew, took the controls and landed the jet safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

The co-pilot was arrested by Saudi authorities after landing. An Israeli official identified him as an Omani national, though his nationality has not been independently verified. Musaev said Saudi medical teams took over the captain’s care, and that he was told the pilot survived and was out of danger.

Passengers were later flown on to Ben Gurion Airport. Netanyahu praised the captain as a hero, and Flydubai suspended its flights to and from Israel. Israel’s Transport Ministry said it would investigate jointly with the defense establishment, and Saudi authorities are interrogating the co-pilot. The investigation is ongoing.

Sources:
ynetnews, “‘I came to fight him’: Israeli doctor fought Flydubai attacker, then saved wounded captain,” Sept. 30, 2026: ynetnews.com/article/sjyx52c5zg
CNN, “Dubai to Tel Aviv flight diverted to Saudi Arabia,” live coverage, Sept. 30, 2026: cnn.com/live-news/dubai-israel-plane-flydubai
CNBC/Reuters, “Passengers overcame pilot who tried to crash Flydubai flight, Israel says,” Sept. 30, 2026: cnbc.com/israel-flight-diverted-saudi-arabia
Al Jazeera, “Netanyahu calls stabbed Indian pilot a hero; Flydubai halts Israel flights” and “Flydubai FZ1073 timeline: How the Israel-bound flight emergency unfolded,” Sept. 30, 2026: aljazeera.com/netanyahu-praises-indian-pilot and aljazeera.com/flydubai-fz1073-timeline