From Le Figaro with Portal
Published 1 hour ago, updated 34 minutes ago
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The suspect, a 44-year-old pilot, was subdued by the crew and subsequently charged with multiple charges.
General panic on the plane. An Alaska Airlines regional flight to San Francisco (USA) with 80 passengers was diverted to Portland, Oregon on Sunday after a man in the cockpit tried to switch off the plane’s engines, Portal news agency reported on Monday, October 23.
The suspect, a 44-year-old airline pilot, was arrested by Portland police and charged with 83 counts, including attempted murder and endangering an aircraft, according to the Portland Sheriff’s Office. Multnomah County. “We had the guy trying to shut down the engines,” the plane’s pilot told aviation regulators at the time of the incident, according to a radio recording. It doesn’t seem to cause any problems. I think he is under control… We want the police to arrest him when he lands (to arrest him).”
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He wanted to activate the fire system
The government agency responsible for civil aviation regulations and controls in the United States (FAA) said in a memo seen by Portal that the man, who was not on duty at the time of the incident, had attempted to shut down the engines of the plane, an Embraer 175, by activating the fire extinguishing system.
He didn’t have time to do that on Sunday because the crew intervened so quickly and overpowered the person. According to a federal database, the suspect was medically cleared to return to duty last month. The investigation continues based on an understanding of his motivations, which are “in no way linked to international news,” the FAA said.
In the United States, off-duty pilots are routinely assigned as passengers on regional flights so they can return home or join their next flight, Portal details. They usually sit on booster seats in the cockpit, as did the suspect. According to Alaska Airlines, all passengers on the flight were able to reach their destination on a later flight.