US: Off-duty pilot charged with attempted murder for ‘trying to shut down’ plane’s engine mid-air

An off-duty pilot in the United States has been charged with over 80 counts of attempted murder after he allegedly tried to “shut the engines down” and crash a passenger jet during a flight on Sunday (Oct 22) night. The incident took place on an Alaska Airlines flight bound for San Francisco, California which was later reportedly diverted to Portland, Oregon.

What happened?

The Alaska Airlines flight number 2059 operated by Horizon Air which had taken off from Everett, Washington was carrying 80 passengers and was diverted to Portland where it landed safely.

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According to Alaska Airlines, the parent company of Horizon, pilots reported a “credible security threat related to an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who was travelling in the flight deck jump seat.”

“The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines,” said the airlinein a statement. It added, “The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.”

The crew on Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 reported the incident to air traffic control, where the Horizon Air pilot, as per Live ATC said, “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,” the pilot added. “We want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked.” The incident was also described as a “Level 4” which involves an “attempted or actual breach of the flight deck.”

The flight was scheduled to take off at 5:25 pm (local time) and land in San Francisco at 7:30 pm (local time).

“All passengers on board were able to travel on a later flight,” said Alaska Airlinesin a statement, adding that the incident is being investigated by the Port of Portland Police Department and the FBI.

About the suspect

While the airlinedid not identify the suspect, on Monday (Oct 23) the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in Portland charged 44-year-old Joseph Emerson with 83 counts of attempted murder, reckless endangerment and endangering an aircraft, as per news agency AFP.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a noticeon Monday (Oct 23) to all American air carriers, saying that the incident was not linked “in any way, shape or form to current world events,” adding that it is supporting law enforcement investigations into the incident.

The notice seen by Reuters says that the individual at the centre of the case sought to disable the engines by deploying the fire suppression system.

(With inputs from agencies)

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