Washington: An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot has been charged with attempted murder. In fact, an off-duty pilot sitting in the cockpit jump seat of an American commercial flight on Sunday attempted to shut down the plane’s engine mid-flight. The plane was traveling from Washington to San Francisco. Meanwhile the co-pilot immediately diverted the plane to Portland, Oregon. There were 80 passengers on board the plane, where they landed safely and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
According to an AFP report, the incident took place on a Horizon Air Embraer E-175 aircraft flight. Horizon’s parent company, Alaska Airlines, said in a statement that the incident occurred on a Horizon Air Embraer E-175 aircraft. The plane was carrying 80 passengers to San Francisco, but was diverted to Oregon, where the assembled passengers disembarked safely.
Horizon Air pilots reported the failed assassination attempt by this off-duty pilot to Alaska Airlines. According to Horizon Air pilots, ‘an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot attempted to disrupt engine operation by sitting in the jump seat. The Horizon captain and first officer responded immediately and reported that engine power had not been cut during the accused’s attempt and the crew had secured the aircraft without incident.”
The airline did not identify the off-duty pilot, but Joseph Emerson, 44, was charged Monday by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in Portland with 83 counts of attempted murder, reckless endangerment and endangering an aircraft.
Live ATC also released an audio recording of a Horizon Air pilot relating the incident. “We have found the person who tried to shut down the engine,” said the Horizon Air pilot. A similar incident took place in March 2015. The Germanwings plane was intentionally crashed by the pilot, killing all 144 passengers and six crew members. The flight was going from Barcelona to Dusseldorf.
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Tags: America News, Flight pilot, Washington News
First published: October 24, 2023, 08:28 IST