Flight diverted to Portland over 'credible security threat,' off-duty pilot charged with 83 attempte

[mystery-ak]

Updated on October 23, 2023 2:00pm EDT
Flight diverted to Portland over 'credible security threat,' off-duty pilot charged with 83 attempted murders
Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot in jumper seat reportedly tried to shut down the plane's engines from the cockpit

By Danielle Wallace , David Spunt , Daniella Genovese

A flight that took off from Washington state and was headed toward San Francisco was diverted to Portland, Oregon, over a "credible security threat" Sunday, airline officials confirmed to Fox News Digital.

A man, identified as an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, has since been arrested and charged with more than 80 counts of attempted murder, the Seattle Times reported.

"Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 operated by Horizon Air from Everett, WA (PAE) to San Francisco, CA (SFO) reported a credible security threat related to an authorized occupant in the flight deck jump seat. The crew secured the aircraft without incident," Alaska Airlines said in a statement to Fox News Digital Monday.

"Following appropriate FAA procedures and guidance from air traffic control, the flight safely diverted to Portland International Airport. The event is being investigated by law enforcement authorities," the airline added. "All passengers on board were able to travel on a later flight. We are grateful for the professional handling of the situation by the Horizon flight crew and appreciate our guests’ calm and patience throughout this event."

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https://www.foxbusiness.com/fox-news-travel/flight-diverted-portland-credible-security-threat-off-duty-pilot-charged-83-attempted-murders

[Wingnut]

Squawking 7500.  HJ.  That is a serious as it gets!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbU6E6VJx30

[mountaineer]

Jon Ostrower
@jonostrower
The FAA sent the following security notice to U.S. carriers, according to a U.S. airline staffer who received the message directly:

“Last night a significant security event occurred on a US Air Carrier involving a validated jump seat passenger attempting to disable aircraft engines while at cruise altitude by deploying the engine fire suppression system. The crew was able to subdue the suspect and was removed from the flight deck. The flight diverted and landed safely. The event remains under investigation by law enforcement, no further details will be provided at this time.”

Alaska Airlines Pilot Charged With 83 Counts of Attempted Murder After He Tried to Shut Down Engines While Off-Duty in Cockpit
The pilot, Joseph Emerson, was being held in a Portland, Oregon, jail amid a federal investigation of the incident
Published 10/23/23 09:53 AM ET|Updated 1 hr ago

The crew of a Horizon Airlines regional jet diverted their flight to Portland, Oregon Sunday after an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot riding in the cockpit’s jumpseat tried to shut down the jet’s engines on a flight to San Francisco.

The suspect, Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph D. Emerson, 44, was charged with 83 counts of attempted murder and endangering an aircraft, both felonies, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. Emerson was booked into the county jail early Monday. He also faces 83 counts of reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor. He was off-duty when he was in the cockpit.

Horizon Air flight 2059 was en route from Everett, in suburban Seattle, Sunday night with the pilot, an “authorized occupant” sitting in the flight deck with the crew, Alaska Air said Monday. ...

“We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit and he doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issue in the back right now, I think he’s subdued,” a pilot told air traffic controllers, according to audio recorded by Live ATC. “We want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked.”  ...

Alaska said in a later statement that the suspect “unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines” before the captain and first officer responded. “Engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.”   ...

More at The Messenger

[mountaineer]

... The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office confirmed the arrest via booking records on Monday, with 44-year-old Joseph David Emerson being arrested by the Port of Portland Police, the law enforcement agency for the Portland International Airport in Oregon, and booked around 4 a.m. local time ...

Emerson, a resident of Pleasant Hill, California, now faces a considerable raft of charges, including 83 charges of attempted murder, a Class A felony with a mandatory sentence of 7.5 years per count in Oregon. He is also charged with one count of endangering an aircraft and several more for reckless endangerment.  ... https://www.newsweek.com/joseph-emerson-accused-trying-kill-plane-engines-1837033

[mountaineer]

Crazed pilot Joseph Emerson said he took magic mushrooms before trying to down flight: feds
By Marjorie Hernandez and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon   
Published Oct. 24, 2023; Updated Oct. 24, 2023, 5:46 p.m. ET
New York Post

The out-of-control airline pilot who tried to down an Alaskan Airlines flight midair told cops he had taken magic mushrooms before the flight, it emerged Tuesday.

Joseph Emerson, 44, an off-duty commercial airline pilot, went off the rails while sitting in the cockpit jump seat of a flight between Everett, Washington, and San Francisco on Sunday — trying to cut the fuel to the engines before he had to be held down by crew members.

Even while restrained, Emerson tried to open the emergency doors on the Alaskan flight, which was being operated by Horizon Air, as the pilots frantically guided the craft to the ground.

When later interviewed by police he said he had a “nervous breakdown” after not sleeping for 40 hours and taking psychedelic mushrooms for the first time.

“I didn’t feel okay. It seemed like the pilots weren’t paying attention to what was going on. They didn’t… it didn’t seem right,” Emerson told police, according to an affidavit obtained by The Post. ...