An off-duty pilot, identified as Joseph David Emerson, 44, has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder following an incident where he allegedly tried to crash an Alaska Airlines passenger flight on Sunday night.
Emerson was in the cockpit, seated behind the captain and the first officer during the flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, California, which had 80 passengers on board.
The flight was unexpectedly rerouted to Portland, Oregon, where Emerson was apprehended without any complications. According to Alaska Airlines, Emerson, who was seated in the flight deck jump seat, made an unsuccessful attempt to “disrupt the operation of the engines.”
The incident was immediately reported by the crew members of Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 to air traffic control. A pilot was recorded communicating to the control tower about the event, stating that the individual responsible for trying to halt the engines had been removed from the cockpit and seemed to have been subdued.
The Horizon Air flight, originally scheduled to take off at 17:25 local time and land in San Francisco by 19:30, faced a delay as it was diverted to Portland. It later resumed its journey, departing Portland at 19:18.
Aubrey Gavello, one of the passengers on the flight, shared with ABC News that they were initially unaware of any issues. The sudden announcement from a flight attendant about an immediate landing, citing a medical emergency, left her under the impression that there was a severe medical situation.
However, passengers were mostly unaware of the gravity of the situation, with one of them commending the professional handling of the incident by the airline staff.
Alaska Airlines, in their statement, expressed gratitude for the composed handling of the situation by the Horizon flight crew and acknowledged the patience exhibited by their guests. The airline reassured that all passengers were provided with alternative flight arrangements.
The Port of Portland Police Department and the FBI are currently investigating the incident. The FBI has issued a statement ensuring the public that there is no ongoing threat in connection with this event.
Besides the attempted murder charges, Emerson is facing 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft. He is currently detained at the Multnomah County Detention Center, awaiting arraignment.
In light of this incident, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice to US air carriers, specifying that this occurrence has no ties to current global events.
