(Web Desk) - 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.
Alaska Air Group is the Seattle-based parent of Horizon and Alaska airlines. “The crew secured the aircraft without incident,” Alaska said. The Embraer E-175 flight was met by law enforcement in Portland and the event is being investigated by the FBI, the airline said.
“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.”
Pilots, dispatchers and other authorized aviation personnel often ride in the flight deck jumpseat as non-revenue passengers with the permission of the captain on a flight.
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.”
The flight landed at 6:26 p.m. PDT, 51 minutes after its departure, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking service. The 70 passengers were accommodated on a later flight, Alaska said.
“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,” Alaska said.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires that U.S. pilots receive a medical screening from an aviation medical examiner every six months to five years, depending on their age and the type of flying they do.
The agency has sought to remove the stigma of mental health problems from the profession to encourage pilots to report any psychological issues and seek treatment. Most conditions do not disqualify a pilot from flying, the agency notes on its pilot mental fitness site.
Many pilots worry they’ll permanently lose their medical certification to fly if they report depression or anxiety, Dr. Susan Northrup, an FAA flight surgeon, said in a video the agency produced on the topic. Those requiring medication may be able to obtain a special clearance to fly, she said.
The FAA also has issued a personal checklist for pilots, known by the acronym I’M SAFE, to conduct for themselves before each flight to determine that they are mentally and physically fit to fly. It covers: illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue and emotion.