Off-duty pilot charged with 83 counts of attempted murder

ALASKA BOEING 737-990 N248AK (MSN 62469)

An off-duty pilot is charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after he allegedly tried to shut off the engines by pulling the fire extinguisher handles on an Alaska Airlines flight, according to officials.

The aircraft was travelling from Everett, Washington (PAE/KPAE), to San Francisco (SFO/KSFO) before it diverted to Portland on Sunday night after a "credible security threat related to an authorised occupant in the flight deck jump seat," the airline confirmed to the media.

Crew members on Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 reported the incident to air traffic control.

The suspect allegedly tried to pull the fire extinguisher handles on the engines, preliminary information obtained by investigators indicated, according to a federal official briefed on the probe. The suspect was overwhelmed by flight crew and subdued and then handcuffed to a seat, the federal official said.

The suspect, Joseph David Emerson, was taken into custody, the Port of Portland confirmed. Emerson is charged with 83 counts of attempted murder, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. He is also facing 83 counts of reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor, and one felony count of endangering an aircraft.

The suspect was en route to San Francisco, where he was scheduled to be on a flight crew of a 737, the official said.

Alaska Airlines said the off-duty pilot was sitting in the flight deck jump seat -- which is in the cockpit -- and "unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines."

The captain and first officer "quickly responded," Alaska said, adding engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Alaska (flying for Horizon Air)

Code: AS/ASA

Aircraft: Embraer E175

Registration: N660QX

Serial Number: 17000948

First Flew: June 2023

Age 4 Months