‘Lips were blue, pulse dropped too low’: Dentist recalls race against time to save flydubai Indian pilot Smit Machchhar

“At one time, his pulse was too low, so I put his feet up and the pulse came back,” Shota Musaev said recalling the flydubai horror

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When Indian captain Smit Machchhar suffered severe injuries after being attacked by co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, a dentist travelling on the flydubai flight came to rescue.

The Georgian doctor has been identified as Shota Masuev. He reportedly spent 45 minutes treating the pilot using T-shirts and ice packs, and constantly monitored Machchhar to keep him alive until the plane landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to ABC News, Musaev recalled the medical emergency and his efforts to keep the injured pilot alive as the plane continued its journey with more than 170 passengers on board.

‘Used ice packs on wounds, kept him conscious’

Musaev said he rushed towards the cockpit after hearing screams and helped restrain the attacker before turning his attention to Machchhar, who was lying injured on the cockpit floor.

"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.”

"There was heavy bleeding from his head and left hand," Musaev told The National from Holon.

Musaev said he initially used T-shirts to apply pressure to the wounds, but the bleeding continued. He then asked the cabin crew for ice.

“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.

The dentist also tried to keep Machchhar conscious by speaking to him and asking about his family.

“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.

Machchhar told Musaev his name and age, said he lived in Dubai and was from India, and repeatedly asked for help with the pain.

“Everything will be good,” Musaev said he told the pilot. “He said to me, 'Help me, please. Help me, please. I don't want to die here.'”

"He was cut badly and would say, 'I'm feeling hot on my hands.' I kept telling him that he would be OK," Musaev said.

'Pilot's pulse dropped too low'

Machchhar's condition later deteriorated, with his pulse dropping dangerously low. “At one time, his pulse was too low, so I put his feet up and the pulse came back,” Musaev said.

The dentist then noticed another alarming sign — Machchhar's lips had turned blue.

“When I saw his lips were blue, I told the steward, 'We need to land quickly. He doesn't have much more time'.”

Videos circulated on social media also showed Machchhar asking for painkillers. Musaev said he gave him small sips of water but decided against giving him medication because of the severity of his injuries and the risk of renewed 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.”

Instead, Musaev continued monitoring the pilot's condition throughout the remainder of the flight.

"If he talks, does not sleep, his pulse, the colour of lips, these were the indicators I had," he said.

‘Smit saved our lives’

Musaev said passengers also remained alert to the possibility of further danger, with a small group scanning and checking for more attackers until the plane landed in Saudi Arabia.

After landing, he handed Machchhar over to doctors on the ground.

"Good luck, my friend. Everything will be good," Musaev recalled telling the pilot.

The dentist later said both he and his wife suffered post-traumatic stress in the days following the incident.

"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," Musaev said.

Machchhar has since been hailed as a "hero" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Indian Embassy in the UAE said on Tuesday that the pilot "continues to make steady progress and is regaining his health."

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