A dentist from Tbilisi saved a Flydubai captain after an attack at an altitude of 10,000 meters

@NGnewsgeorgia. Georgian-Israeli dentist Shota Musaev saved the life of the severely wounded commander of a Flydubai flight during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. A dramatic incident occurred aboard flight FZ1073: the co-pilot attacked the captain with a knife and apparently attempted to steer the Boeing 737 Max 8 into the ground. 

Shota Musaev was the only doctor among the 174 passengers. He first helped subdue the attacker and then provided emergency aid to the aircraft commander, who had been wounded in the head and arms.

“I was able to stop the bleeding, and the pilot’s condition remained more or less stable until landing. I don’t consider myself a hero—everyone behaved heroically; it was a team effort,” — Musaev told Ynetnews upon returning to Israel.

Shota Musaev is a well-known representative of the Georgian Jewish community. He studied at Tbilisi State Medical University. He now lives in Israel with his family and works as a dentist. His wife was also aboard the ill-fated flight. The doctor is the son-in-law of Georgian-Jewish singer Yuza Mosiashvili. 

“What happened is a real miracle. My son-in-law, Dr. Shota, and everyone who was on that flight are true heroes,” Mosiashvili told reporters after meeting his relatives at the airport.

During the attack, the plane suddenly lost 5,200 meters of altitude in just two minutes. The wounded captain managed to open the cockpit door before losing consciousness. Passengers led by Israeli Yaniv Hayun rushed inside, subdued the co-pilot, and restrained him with plastic ties and headphone wires.

Control of the airliner was taken over by two reserve pilots who were traveling on the flight as passengers. They successfully landed the plane at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. The wounded captain, Indian citizen Smith Machchhar, was hospitalized there. His condition is stable.

The attacker was arrested by Saudi authorities. The Israeli side is investigating the incident as an attempted terrorist attack.

The Flydubai passengers were later taken to Tel Aviv on a backup aircraft. At Ben Gurion Airport, a large crowd of people with Israeli flags welcomed them with music and dancing.