An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot on a ride in the jump seat of a Horizon Air flight 2059 from Everett to San Francisco on Sunday tried to shut the plane’s engines down in-flight. The quick-thinking crew subdued the individual, leading to a safe landing in Portland, where the pilot was subsequently arrested.
During the unscheduled diversion to Portland, the pilot communicated the situation with air traffic controllers, calmly stating that the individual had been removed from the cockpit and seemed to be causing no further issues. The pilot also requested law enforcement upon landing.
Alaska Air Group, the parent company of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, later confirmed that the flight’s Captain and First Officer responded immediately. “Engine power was not lost, and the crew secured the aircraft without incident,” the company said in a statement.
Joe Emerson, 44, the off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, was arrested by the Port of Portland Police early Monday morning. Records show he is being held on suspicion of attempted murder and reckless endangerment. The FBI has taken over the investigation, reassuring the public that there is no ongoing threat from this incident.
According to The Seattle Times, the Embraer E175 with a full cabin of 80 passengers including infants, two flight attendants, and two pilots, departed from Everett’s Paine Field airport at 5:23 p.m. The Alaska Airlines pilot, sitting in a jump seat behind the Captain and First Officer, made his move just an hour into the two-hour scheduled flight.
It’s routine for airline employees to catch free rides back to their home base if seats are available. Typically, pilots choose the jump seat to engage with the flight crew. On this occasion, the jump seat was the only available seat on the plane.
Alaska Air confirmed a “credible security threat” related to the individual in the jump seat. However, all passengers were safely accommodated on later flights. Expressing gratitude towards the Horizon flight crew’s professional handling of the situation, the airline also provided passengers with travel vouchers for future use.
