An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot has been charged with more than 80 counts of attempted murder after he tried to shut off the plane’s engine mid-flight on Sunday, forcing the plane to make a sudden change to Portland.
Alaska Airlines said in a statement that Flight 2059 took off from Everett, Washington, bound for San Francisco. The flight was operated by Horizon Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, but was diverted due to a “credible safety” threat related to a person in the flight deck jump seat of the cockpit.
“The jump seat occupant attempted to disrupt the engine operation, but was unsuccessful,” the airline said in a statement. “Horizon’s captain and co-pilot responded quickly, there was no loss of engine power, and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.”
The flight crew followed “FAA proper procedures and air traffic control guidance” when landing at Portland International Airport. According to reports, the flight took off just before 5:30 p.m. local time and landed in Portland about an hour later. flight aware data.
audio Communications between the plane and air traffic control revealed an attempt to turn off the plane’s engine.
“Just as a heads up. There’s a guy who tried to shut off the engine from the cockpit. So far it doesn’t look like there’s anything wrong with him. “I think he’s been subdued,” the plane’s pilot told air traffic control. Told. “Other than that, I want you to call the police as soon as you get off the ground and park the aircraft.”
Off-duty airline pilots typically sit in jump seats on the flight deck behind the pilot and return to their home base when a seat becomes available.
After landing, Joseph David Emerson, 44, was arrested by Portland Harbor Police.
He was arrested on charges of 83 counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment and aircraft endangerment, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. Reservation record.
Mr. Emerson was hired by Horizon Airlines in 2001 and has since been employed by Alaska Airlines and Virgin America, according to an Alaska Airlines spokesperson.
The FBI said the incident was under investigation and no injuries were reported. “We can assure the traveling public that there is no ongoing threat associated with this incident,” the agency said. Meanwhile, the FAA said it is “partnering with Alaska Airlines and Horizon Airlines” and “assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”
After the Horizon Air crash, the FAA sent a warning to the airline stating that “a passenger in a certified jump seat attempted to deploy the engine fire suppression system at cruising altitude to shut down the aircraft’s engines.”
The crew was eventually able to “subdue the subject” and remove him from the flight deck, turn the plane around and land safely, according to the alert.
In a second notice, the FAA clarified that the security incident was unrelated to current world events.
All passengers were able to board later flights.
“We would like to thank the Horizon Airlines crew for their professional handling of the situation and thank our customers for their calm and patience throughout this event,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement.
