Airline pilot faces 83 attempted murder charges after cockpit disturbance, officials say
An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot faces 83 attempted murder charges after he’s accused of disturbing a cockpit midair, officials said.
Joseph Emerson was arrested Oct. 22 after the Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco made an emergency landing in Portland at 6:26 p.m., according to the Port of Portland.
Emerson was sitting in the flight deck jump seat when he was accused of trying to “disrupt the operation of the engines,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement to McClatchy News.
Horizon Air is owned by Alaska Air Group, Inc., which also operates Alaska Airlines.
“I’ll just give you a heads-up. We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit,” a pilot told air traffic controllers. “It doesn’t seem like he’s causing any issue at the back. I think he’s subdued.”
The audio was recorded and posted by LiveATC.net, NPR reported.
Airline officials said the plane’s engine didn’t lose power during the incident, and the crew was able to secure the plane.
The plane made an emergency landing at the Portland International Airport and Emerson was arrested on 83 counts of attempted murder, reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft, according to the airline and online inmate booking information.
Passengers onboard were put on another flight, the airline 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,” the airline said in a statement.
Emerson’s charges are currently being reviewed by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Airline pilot faces 83 attempted murder charges after cockpit disturbance, officials say."
