An off-duty airline pilot aboard a California-bound plane on Sunday allegedly tried to shut off the engines mid-flight.
KATU reported that the Horizon Air flight was traveling from Washington to California, but it was diverted to Portland, Oregon, following the incident. Alaska Airlines officials said their pilot Joseph David Emerson, 44, was approved to be in the cockpit when he “unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines.”
Sunday’s incident reportedly occurred on a 76-passenger plane. Emerson was sitting in the cockpit jumpseat, which is located behind the pilots.
“We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issue in the back right now. I think he’s subdued,” one of the pilots allegedly told air traffic controllers.
Horizon Air is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines officials told KOMO that all passengers were placed on a later flight.
Emerson was booked into jail on Monday. He is facing 83 charges of attempted murder, endangering an aircraft, and reckless endangerment.
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