Off-Duty Pilot Attempts To Shut Down Plane Engine – Facing 83 Counts of Attempted Murder

An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot was apprehended after attempting to shut down an airplane engine midflight.

The pilot faces up to 83 felony counts of attempted murder.

The off-duty pilot was sitting in the jump seat up in the cockpit, resulting in a severe risk to the safety of the entire plane.

Luckily, the suspect was subdued, and the plane could land safely in Portland.

BREAKING REPORT: Off-Duty Alaska Airlines pilot faces Multiple counts of ATTEMPTED MURDER and 83 counts of reckless endangerment after trying to "SHUT DOWN JET'S ENGINES" mid-flight while seated in cockpit jump seat..

Joseph David Emerson, 44, is charged with numerous counts of… pic.twitter.com/Jh6OtmWdW4

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) October 23, 2023

NBC News shares more details on the story:

An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot has been charged with over 80 counts of attempted murder after he allegedly attempted to shut off a plane’s engines midflight on Sunday, causing the flight to divert to Portland.

Flight 2059 took off from Everett, Washington, and was bound for San Francisco, Alaska Airlines said in a statement. It was operated by Alaska Airlines subsidiary Horizon Air, but was diverted due to a “credible security” threat linked to a person in the cockpit’s flight deck jump seat.

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

The flight crew followed “appropriate FAA procedures and guidance from air traffic control” in landing at Portland International Airport. The flight took off just before 5:30 p.m. local time and landed about an hour later in Portland, according to FlightAware data.

Everyone aboard the flight is lucky that nothing more happened.

Reports show that the suspect had ample chance and opportunity to damage the plane seriously.

Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, 44, 'tried to shut down jet's ENGINES in mid-air while riding in cockpit jump seat,' forcing plane to divert: Charged with EIGHTY-THREE counts of attempted murder
Joseph David Emerson, 44, faces charges along with an additional 83 counts of…

— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) October 23, 2023

CNN shares more on the story:

Emerson is the off-duty pilot who is accused of trying to seize control of the flight, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The airline Emerson works for wasn’t immediately known.

The plane took off from Seattle Paine Field International Airport and was diverted to Portland International Airport because of the “credible security threat,” the airline said in a statement Monday.

“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 issues in the back right now,” the pilot told Seattle-area air traffic controllers, according to audio recorded by LiveATC.net. “I think he’s subdued. Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and are parked.”

I’m interested to know why this maniac tried to down an entire plane.

Was he insane? Domestic terrorism?

We’ll have to wait for the FBI and police to obtain more information.

We’ll keep you updated on any developments in the story.