Off-duty pilot tried to crash plane mid-flight, charged with attempted murder
An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot was charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after he reportedly tried to crash an aircraft mid-flight.
The suspect, Joseph David Emerson, 44, was sitting in the flight deck jumpseat on Alaska Airlines flight 2059 operated by Horizon Air, heading to San Francisco Airport from Paine Field Airport in Everett, Washington, on Sunday.
A jump seat is located in the cockpit and usually occupied by off-duty pilots, NTSB, the FAA or air traffic controllers in instances such as commuting between airports.
During the flight, Emerson allegedly attempted to pull the fire extinguisher handles on the engines, causing a “credible security threat,” Alaska Airlines told USA TODAY in a statement. “The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident,” the Alaska statement continued.
The incident caused the plane to divert to Portland International Airport, where it safely landed at around 6:25 p.m. No injuries were reported, according to the FBI Portland on X, formerly Twitter.
“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, and I think he’s subdued,” one of the pilots said on audio captured by LiveATC.net. “Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked.”
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“All passengers on board were able to travel on a later flight. We are grateful for the professional handling of the situation by the Horizon flight crew and appreciate our guests’ calm and patience throughout this event,” Alaska Airlines said.
Emerson was arrested by the Port of Portland and currently held at Multnomah County Detention Center, according to booking records by the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.
He is being charged with 83 charges of attempted murder, which are felony offenses. He’s also facing 83 charges of reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor, and one count of endangering an aircraft, which is a class C felony.
There were 80 passengers and four flight crew members on the flight, according to the airline.
According to Alaska Airlines, “the event is being investigated by law enforcement authorities, which includes the FBI and the Port of Portland Police Department.”
“The FAA is engaged with Alaska and Horizon airlines and is supporting law enforcement investigations into Sunday evening’s incident aboard a Horizon Airlines flight,” the FAA said in a statement.
In a statement, the FBI said it “can assure the traveling public there is no continuing threat related to this incident.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot tried to shut down engines mid-flight
