An off-duty pilot attempted to control an Alaska Airlines plane on which he was traveling as a passenger.
The incident occurred on a flight from Seattle to San Francisco on Sunday.
According to CNN, the pilot was in the cockpit, as is sometimes common in the world of aviation.
The suspect, Joseph Emerson, was arrested by the Portland Harbor Police Department and is convicted of 83 counts of attempted murder and 83 counts of endangering others.
The plane was diverted to Portland due to a “credible” security threat, Alaska Airlines confirmed.
In an audio recording broadcast by the website LiveATC.net, the pilot of the Seattle/San Francisco flight can be heard telling air traffic controllers that “a guy is trying to shut off the engines.”
“He doesn’t seem to have caused any problems at the moment. […] I think he’s under control now. We want law enforcement to be there when we arrive on scene.”
The FAA, which regulates and controls civil aviation in the United States, is aware of the incident and says it will cooperate with the ongoing investigation.