On Sunday, October 22, a plane belonging to the American regional company Horizon Air was diverted after a man installed in the cockpit attempted to switch off the engines. The plane was able to land without damage.
The disaster was narrowly avoided on Sunday, October 22nd, on a plane from Everret, Washington to San Francisco. An Alaska Airlines pilot, who was in the cockpit of the plane but off-duty, attempted to shut down the plane’s engines mid-flight before he was overpowered. He was charged with attempted murder.
Some airlines allow travelers to sit behind the captain in the cockpit jump seat. That’s exactly what this man did when he “attempted in vain to disrupt the operation of the engines,” according to the press release from Alaska Airlines, the parent company of Horizon Air, which chartered the flight.
A level 4 threat
“Horizon’s captain and co-pilot responded quickly, engine power was not lost, and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.” The aircraft, which was carrying 80 passengers, was diverted to Portland, Oregon, where it landed safely.
An audio recording of the pilot’s flight was posted on Live ATC, a website that archives conversations between the cockpit and air traffic controllers. He can be heard saying: “We got the guy who tried to turn off the engines out of the cockpit.” It looks like he’s no longer causing any problems in the back.
The incident is described as a Level 4 threat attempting to endanger aviation safety. “As soon as we land, the police have to be there,” the Horizon Air pilot added, according to the recording.
Alaska Airlines has not released the name of the suspect. According to AFP, a 44-year-old man, Joseph Emerson, was charged by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department in Portland on Monday, October 23, with 83 counts of attempted murder, endangering others and endangering an aircraft. An investigation is underway.