A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv narrowly escaped catastrophe after one of its pilots allegedly attacked his colleague in the cockpit in what appears to have been an attempt to crash the aircraft, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

According to Netanyahu, the co-pilot stabbed the captain before being overpowered and later arrested. Speaking to CNN, he credited the wounded pilot, Captain Smit Machchhar, with preventing a 9/11-style disaster for Israel.

The struggle was brief but terrifying. Flight tracking data shows the plane plunged 17,400 feet in under two minutes as the confrontation unfolded.

Passengers played a vital role. One traveller described restraining the alleged assailant in a chokehold before reaching for the controls to help steady the aircraft. Exactly who landed the plane remains unclear.

The flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia, and all passengers have since returned safely to Israel. Flydubai says it has opened an investigation.

In India, the Mumbai-born captain is being celebrated as a national hero. Leading outlets, including the Times of India and India Today, have praised his courage, while a CNN News-18 anchor told primetime viewers that the safe return of 166 Israelis was owed to one Indian's bravery.

Questions now turn to how the attack happened, what drove the second pilot, and how airlines screen and monitor flight crews. For now, a wounded captain and quick-thinking passengers are being credited with turning near-certain tragedy into a story of survival.