US pilot charged with 83 counts of attempted murder for trying to turn engines off mid-air

The pilot, who was off-duty at the time of the alleged incident, was sat in the cockpit's jump seat, ITV News Correspondent Graham Stothard reports

A pilot has been held on 83 counts of attempted murder after attempting to shut down the engines of an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight.

The man, identified by authorities as Joseph David Emerson, 44, was off-duty at the time and was sat in one of the cockpit's extra seats when he tried to disable the engines.

He was then swiftly subdued by the crew.

The flight, originally bound for San Francisco, was diverted to Portland, Oregon, where Emerson was taken into custody.

'Just to give you a heads up, we've got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit'

Audio from cockpit of the Horizon air flight via Live-ATC.NET

He has been held on 83 counts each of attempted murder and reckless endangerment, and one count of endangering an aircraft, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines did not name him, but said on Monday that the threat was posed by one of its pilots who had been off duty but authorised to occupy the cockpit jump seat.

The third seat in the cockpit - also known as the jump seat - is often filled by an off-duty pilot, but it can be used by other airline employees or safety inspectors.

The airline said the captain and co-pilot reacted quickly, confirming "engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident”.

Alaska Airlines said in a statement that no weapons were involved.

One of the pilots told air traffic controllers that the man who posed the threat had been removed from the cockpit.

“We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit," the pilot could be heard saying on audio captured by LiveATC.net. 

"And he doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issue in the back right now, and I think he’s subdued. 

"Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked.”

'I heard nothing until the flight attendants said we had a situation'

The FBI office in Portland said it was investigating “and can assure the travelling public there is no continuing threat related to this incident.”

Jeffrey Price, an aviation-security expert at Metropolitan University of Denver, said airlines must approve people who sit in the jump seat, but the pilots working the flight can deny access.

The vetting of crew members is based on trust, he said, and the last line of defense is what happened on the Horizon plane - “crew members physically preventing someone from taking over the flight controls. The system worked, fortunately.”

“For the amount of times this type of incident happens - almost never - it’s probably not a procedure we need to get rid of,” Price said.

He added, however, that Sunday’s quashed threat will lead to an analysis of whether procedures were followed and whether additional safeguards are needed.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...