Arrested: Off-Duty Pilot of Alaska Airlines Tries To Shut Down Engines Mid-Air

Good Day Readers, Today a miserable news has come stating that an off-duty pilot from Alaska Airlines was arrested for attempting to disable the aircraft’s engines while in flight. Stay with this article to find out more about this news. During a flight bound for San Francisco, an off-duty pilot in the cockpit made an attempt to shut down the plane’s engines mid-air, leading to the aircraft’s diversion to Portland. A passenger, identified as an off-duty pilot of Alaska Airlines, traveling in the cockpit of a flight headed to San Francisco, faced attempted murder charges on Sunday.

He attempted to shut down the plane’s engines mid-air, but the flight crew managed to control the situation, subduing the pilot, Joseph David Emerson. The aircraft was then diverted to Portland, where Emerson was taken into custody. The flight originally scheduled to go from Washington to San Francisco was rerouted to Portland in response to a “credible security” threat, as reported by the airline.

Off-Duty Pilot of Alaska Airlines Tries To Shut Down

The statement from the airline explained that “The occupant of the jump seat made an unsuccessful attempt to interfere with the engine operation. The Captain and First Officer of Horizon Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, promptly reacted to the situation, ensuring that engine power remained intact, and they safely secured the aircraft without any issues.” In the audio recordings from the flight, the pilot can be heard reporting, “We have the individual who attempted to shut down the engines out of the cockpit.

It appears that there are no ongoing issues in the cabin at the moment. I believe the situation is under control.” The pilot then requested law enforcement to be present as soon as the plane lands and is parked. The 44-year-old accused now confronts a total of 83 counts of attempted murder, with each count corresponding to one of the passengers on the flight. Alaska Airlines has confirmed that they are conducting an investigation into the incident and are actively cooperating with law enforcement. Typically, off-duty pilots are permitted to occupy the cockpit jump seat, subject to the captain’s approval.