An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot onboard a Horizon Airlines flight tried to disrupt engine operation on a Sunday flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, California.
The pilot, Joseph David Emerson, was seated in the flight deck jump seat in the cockpit and was overpowered by the flight crew. He was then handcuffed to a seat as the plane was diverted to Portland, Oregon, where he was taken into custody.
Between the 80 passengers and 3 other crew members onboard, Emerson has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder.
He is also facing 83 counts of reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor, and a felony count for endangering an aircraft, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
The off-duty pilot was onboard to travel to San Francisco where he was on the flight crew schedule for a 737 aircraft.
While in the flight deck jump seat, Emerson attempted to pull the fire extinguisher handles for the engines.
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and law enforcement are investigating the dangerous incident.
SOURCE: Alaska Airlines Pilot Prevented From Crashing Flight
