An Alaska Airlines flight bound for San Francisco has been diverted to Portland, Oregon, after an off-duty pilot riding in the cockpit attempted to disable the aircraft engines.
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Joseph David Emerson was charged with 83 counts of attempted murder and endangering a plane, according to Multnomah County Sheriff's Office booking information, after being arrested by Port of Portland police.
Formal charges against Emerson, 44, were expected to be filed on Tuesday in Multnomah County court in Portland, where he was due to appear for an afternoon arraignment and enter a plea, a spokesperson for the county district attorney said.
Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 operated by Horizon Air from Everett, Washington, diverted on Sunday after reporting a credible security threat, the airline said in a statement.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told US airlines in a notice seen by Reuters that the off-duty pilot, flying as a "validated jump seat passenger", sought to disable the engines of the twin-jet Embraer 175 by attempting to activate the engine fire-suppression system while the plane was at cruise altitude.
"The crew was able to subdue the suspect and was removed from the flight deck," the FAA notice said.
Radio chatter from the flight deck moments later was captured on audio posted by LiveATC.net, an online service that streams communications between air traffic control and commercial jets.
"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 Horizon pilot told air traffic control, according to the audio.
"It doesn't sound like he's causing any issue at the back. I think he's subdued ... We want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked."
The engines were never disabled, Alaska Airlines said.
Port of Portland police officers met the flight and took Emerson into custody without incident.
Emerson joined Alaska Air Group as a Horizon first officer in August 2001 and in 2012, left Horizon to join Virgin America as a pilot, Alaska said.
Emerson became an Alaska Airlines first officer after Alaska's acquisition of Virgin America in 2016 and became an Alaska Airlines captain in 2019. Alaska said "at no point were his certifications denied, suspended or revoked".
The FBI in Portland said it "is investigating and can assure the travelling public there is no continuing threat related to this incident."
The FAA told airlines in a separate notice on Monday that the incident "is not connected in any way, shape or form to current world events" but said it is "always good practice to maintain vigilance".
Alaska Airlines said all passengers on board were able to travel on a later flight.
Australian Associated Press
