An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot attempted to shut down the engines of a plane from the jump seat while flying from Everett, WA to San Francisco, CA Sunday. Horizon Air flight 2059, Embraer E-175 regional jet, took off at 5:23 p.m. and diverted to Portland, WA, where air traffic controllers arranged for an unscheduled emergency landing at 6:26 p.m. After the plane landed safely, the suspect was arrested. Passengers received a voucher for their next flight. Joseph Emerson, 44, has been arrested by the Port of Portland Police Department and charged with 83 felony counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft..The pilot told air traffic controllers in Portland that they’ve “got the guy” out of the cockpit and to the back of the plane “subdued,” according to an audio recording of the events that transpired in the cockpit, published by the Seattle Times. Air traffic control asked the pilot in command what “the threat level” was. “I’ll just give you a heads-up. We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit,” the pilot said. “It doesn’t seem like he’s causing any issue at the back. I think he’s subdued.”“Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked,” he added. There were 80 passengers on the plane, and some lap infants, according to Seattle Times, as well as two on-duty pilots and two flight attendants. The rogue off-duty pilot was in the flight deck sitting directly behind the pilot in command and the first officer, which is a routine way for pilots to catch a ride home after a shift. Sometimes the off-duty pilot will sit in a seat in the cabin, or will visit with the other pilots from the jump seat. “In this case, the jump seat was the only one free on the plane,” Seattle Times said. Parent company of Alaska Air, Alaska Air Group, said in a statement Monday morning that what transpired in the cockpit is a “credible security threat related to an authorized occupant in the flight deck jump seat.” “The crew secured the aircraft without incident,” Alaska Air stated. “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.”
An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot attempted to shut down the engines of a plane from the jump seat while flying from Everett, WA to San Francisco, CA Sunday. Horizon Air flight 2059, Embraer E-175 regional jet, took off at 5:23 p.m. and diverted to Portland, WA, where air traffic controllers arranged for an unscheduled emergency landing at 6:26 p.m. After the plane landed safely, the suspect was arrested. Passengers received a voucher for their next flight. Joseph Emerson, 44, has been arrested by the Port of Portland Police Department and charged with 83 felony counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft..The pilot told air traffic controllers in Portland that they’ve “got the guy” out of the cockpit and to the back of the plane “subdued,” according to an audio recording of the events that transpired in the cockpit, published by the Seattle Times. Air traffic control asked the pilot in command what “the threat level” was. “I’ll just give you a heads-up. We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit,” the pilot said. “It doesn’t seem like he’s causing any issue at the back. I think he’s subdued.”“Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked,” he added. There were 80 passengers on the plane, and some lap infants, according to Seattle Times, as well as two on-duty pilots and two flight attendants. The rogue off-duty pilot was in the flight deck sitting directly behind the pilot in command and the first officer, which is a routine way for pilots to catch a ride home after a shift. Sometimes the off-duty pilot will sit in a seat in the cabin, or will visit with the other pilots from the jump seat. “In this case, the jump seat was the only one free on the plane,” Seattle Times said. Parent company of Alaska Air, Alaska Air Group, said in a statement Monday morning that what transpired in the cockpit is a “credible security threat related to an authorized occupant in the flight deck jump seat.” “The crew secured the aircraft without incident,” Alaska Air stated. “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.”
