An off-duty pilot who was sitting in a jump seat in the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines flight on Sunday was charged with more than 80 counts of attempted murder after he attempted to disable the engines, causing the plane to veer to Portland, Oregon, was rerouted. authorities said.
Flight 2059, operated by Horizon Airlines, a regional subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, departed Everett, Washington, at approximately 5:23 p.m. and was en route to San Francisco when “a credible security threat was reported involving an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot “You will be traveling in the jump seat on the flight deck,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement on Monday.
“The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines,” Alaska Airlines said in the statement, adding that the captain and first officer “responded quickly, engine power was not lost, and the crew secured the aircraft without incident. “
A pilot told an air traffic controller that the man tried to turn off the plane’s engines. This is according to an audio recording published on LiveATC.net, which shares live and archived recordings of air traffic control radio transmissions.
“We have the guy who tried to shut off the engines from the cockpit,” the pilot said, “and it doesn’t sound like he’s causing any problems in the back at the moment. “I think he’s subdued.”
The pilot asked police to meet the plane as it landed.
Port of Portland police said in a statement that the flight crew “was able to restrain the individual and the flight landed safely at Portland International Airport shortly before 6:30 p.m.”
The man was taken into custody without incident. The department identified him as Joseph D. Emerson.
According to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Mr. Emerson, 44, was booked into jail Monday morning on more than 80 charges of attempted murder, a felony; more than 80 counts of intentional endangerment, a misdemeanor; and endangering an aircraft is a criminal offense.
There were four crew members and 80 passengers on board the flight, an Alaska Airlines spokeswoman said.
Michael Jernigan, who was a commercial airline captain for more than two decades before retiring from Alaska Airlines last year, said it was common practice for off-duty pilots to ride in the jump seat when they commuted to and from work.
He said he “never worried about it.”
“Pilots behave – they invest a lot of money and time into their craft,” Jernigan said.
As a jump seat passenger, he said he would remain quiet if the plane was below 10,000 feet. As it began flying to higher altitudes, he often chatted with the pilots, many of whom he had gotten to know well over the years, he said.
He said he could only speculate about what prompted an off-duty pilot to try to disrupt a flight. On most jets, he said, “you can just flip a switch and turn off the engines.” He called the episode “very, very strange.”
It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Emerson, of Pleasant Hill, Calif., had an attorney. Messages left at a phone number listed under his name were not immediately returned Monday because sheriff’s office records indicated he was still in jail.
The Air Line Pilots Association, a union representing commercial airline pilots, praised “the quick and professional response of the two pilots and the entire flight crew in securing the flight deck and safely landing the aircraft.”
“The safety of the flying public and our crews is at the heart of everything we do and we are cooperating fully with the authorities in the investigation of this incident,” the association said in a statement.
The union said airline pilots in North America work “in one of the most scrutinized and scrutinized professions for good reason.”
Pilots in the United States, the union said, are evaluated throughout their careers through training, medical exams and other programs and subject to random flight inspections by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FBI in Portland said in a statement that no injuries were reported on the flight and that the investigating agency can “assure the traveling public that there is no ongoing threat.”
FAA records show that Mr. Emerson received his airline pilot certificate on July 10, allowing him to serve as a captain on commercial flights.
The FAA said it was cooperating with investigators and referred questions to local authorities.
Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, said in a statement on social media that he was grateful to the flight crew and air traffic controllers who “stepped in to pilot this aircraft safely to Portland.” He said the FAA will “evaluate any future safety considerations that arise from the investigation.”
Alaska Airlines said all passengers on board could continue on a later flight.
“We are grateful for the Horizon flight crew’s professional handling of the situation and appreciate our guests’ calm and patience during this event,” the airline said.
Niraj Chokshi contributed reporting and Kirsten Noyes contributed research.