A Alaska Airlines flight with destination to San Francisco was diverted this Sunday to Portland, Oregon, after a pilot out of service inside the flight deck he will try disable the plane’s engines. Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 operated by Horizon Air from Everett, Washington, was diverted Sunday after reporting a credible safety threat related to an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot riding in the flight deck jump seat, it said. The airline.
The Federal Aviation Administration told airlines in a notice seen by Reuters that the individual tried to disable the engines of the Embraer 175 regional airliner deploying the Fire extinguishing system and added that the crew was able to subdue the individual and remove him from the flight deck. The engines were never disabled, Alaska said.
83 assassination attempts
A 44-year-old man, Joseph David Emerson, was charged with 83 counts of attempted murder and endangering an airplane, according to booking information from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. An FAA pilot database shows that Emerson is listed as a certified pilot who received a medical clearance last month.
“I’ll just let you know. We have the guy that tried to shut down the engines outside the cockpit,” the pilot told FAA air traffic control, according to audio posted by LiveATC. “It doesn’t seem like it’s causing any problems in the back. I think it’s moderate… We want enforcement as soon as we get to the ground and park.”
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The FAA told airlines in a separate notice Monday that the incident “It is not related in any way to current world events“, but said that “it is always good practice to maintain vigilance.”
It is standard practice for off-duty pilots to sit in jump seats to return home or to a future flight assignment. Alaska Airlines said all passengers on board were able to travel on a later flight.