Off-duty pilot charged with 83 counts of attempted murder

An off-duty pilot has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder — after he allegedly tried to crash a flight by shutting off the engines.

An off-duty pilot has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder — after he allegedly tried to crash a San Francisco-bound Alaska Airlines flight by shutting off the engines.

An off-duty pilot has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder — after he allegedly tried to crash a San Francisco-bound Alaska Airlines flight by shutting off the engines.

The pilot, identified by police as Joseph David Emerson, 44, was sitting in the cockpit’s jump seat — located behind the captain and the first officer — when he tried to activate the jet’s fire suppression system mid-flight, the airline said in a statement.

If he was successful, he would have cut off the flow of fuel to the engines, the New York Post reports.

“When pulled, a valve in the wing closes to shut off fuel to the engine. After they are pulled, some residual fuel remains in the line, and the quick reaction of our crew to reset the handles restored fuel flow and prevented fuel starvation,” an Alaska Airlines spokesperson explained.

The flight’s captain and first officer managed to subdue the suspect, who was off-duty but authorised to sit in the cockpit as an employee of the airline.

Off-duty pilot Joseph David Emerson was arrested and charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after he allegedly tried to shut off the jet’s engines mid-flight. Picture: Facebook/Joseph Emerson

Flight 2059 was being operated by Horizon Air, a regional carrier owned by Alaska Airlines. It took off from Everett, Washington shortly before 5.30pm local time on Sunday.

“The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines. The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident,” an Alaska Airlines spokesperson told the Post.

The flight was forced to make an emergency diversion to Portland International Airport, where the suspect was taken into custody by the Port of Portland Police. No injuries have been reported in the incident.

“The flight crew was able to detain the subject and the flight landed safely at Portland International Airport just before 6.30pm,” according to the Port of Portland Police, who confirmed the investigation is ongoing.

“The Port of Portland Police Department is working closely with our partners at the FBI, TSA, FAA, and Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.”

Emerson was booked on a litany of charges, including 83 counts of attempted murder in the first degree, 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft in the first degree, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to the Post.

Horizon Air Flight 2059 was diverted to Portland International Airport while en route to San Francisco after the incident. Picture: FlightAware

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson said the agency was engaged with both Alaska and Horizon Airlines and is “supporting investigations into Sunday evening’s incident aboard a Horizon Airlines flight,” but declined to comment on the incident further.

Emerson is currently in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center in Portland, Oregon where he is awaiting arraignment, authorities said.

“Investigation on this matter is still active and is being co-ordinated between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies,” the district attorney’s office said.

The Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA) praised the flight crew for its swift action in stopping Emerson before the incident became a tragedy.

“The safety of the flying public and our crews is at the foundation of everything we do, and we are fully co-operating with authorities as they investigate this incident” the association said when reached by email.

The ALPA called the airline pilot profession “one of the most highly vetted and scrutinised careers,” noting that pilots are “continuously evaluated throughout their careers” through training and medical exams.

Any potential motive for Emerson’s actions was not yet known at press time. However, sources close to the investigation said they don’t believe it was based on any sort of ideology or that the ongoing events in the Middle East played any part in his actions.

An FAA pilot database shows Emerson is listed as a certified pilot who received a medical clearance last month. Aviators are expected to self-report any mental health conditions, two US pilots told Reuters.

In a statement, the Portland office of the FBI said they are investigating the incident and “can assure the travelling public there is no continuing threat related to this incident”.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission