Israeli dentist Shota Musaev was travelling as a passenger on flydubai flight FZ1073 when an emergency inside the cockpit turned him into the only medical help available on board. After the Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, was badly injured in an apparent attack by the first officer, Musaev spent nearly 45 minutes treating him as the aircraft was diverted to Saudi Arabia.
Machchhar suffered a skull fracture and deep cuts to his head, neck and hands after first officer Hamam al-Hammami allegedly attacked him with an emergency crash axe. The pilot was later praised as a "hero" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
'Please don't sleep, we need you'
Speaking to ABC News, Musaev said he rushed towards the cockpit after hearing screams. He initially helped restrain the attacker before turning his attention to Machchhar, who was bleeding heavily.
"I think, how (can) I help this situation for all (the passengers for all plane). How can I help?" he said. "And I see one pilot on the floor, with...blood."
Musaev said there was heavy bleeding from Machchhar’s head and left hand. With no proper medical equipment available, he used T-shirts to apply pressure to the wounds and asked the cabin crew for ice.
"There was heavy bleeding from his head and left hand."
"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 injured pilot conscious by talking to him 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.
Pilot's condition worsens mid-flight
Musaev said Machchhar’s condition deteriorated during the flight, with his pulse dropping dangerously low. He raised the pilot’s feet, after which his pulse returned.
"At one time, his pulse was too low, so I put his feet up, and the pulse came back. When I saw his lips were blue, I told the steward, 'We need to land quickly. He doesn't have much more time'," the dentist said.
Machchhar also pleaded for help. "He said to me, 'Help me, please. Help me, please. I don't want to die here.'"
Musaev said he avoided giving him medication because of the risk of further bleeding and instead continued monitoring his pulse, speech and lip colour.
After the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia, Musaev handed Machchhar over to medical teams.
"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," the dentist added.
The Indian Embassy in the UAE said on Tuesday that Machchhar "continues to make steady progress and is regaining his health."