- An off-duty pilot on an Alaska Airlines flight accused of trying to turn off the plane's engines was arrested.
- The 44-year-old pilot is now facing a slew of charges, including 83 counts of attempted murder.
A California-bound Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Oregon after an off-duty pilot seated in the cockpit allegedly tried to shut down the engines of the plane that was carrying 83 other people on board.
And that pilot is now facing a slew of charges, including 83 felony counts of attempted murder over the Sunday incident.
The off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, identified by police as 44-year-old Joseph Emerson, was riding as a passenger aboard Flight 2059, operated by Horizon Air from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, California, according to authorities and the airline.
He had hitched a ride in the flight deck "jump seat" of the cockpit, Alaska Airlines said in a statement on Monday.
At some point, crew on the flight "reported a credible security threat" related to the off-duty pilot, Alaska Airlines told Insider.
"The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines," the airline said, adding, "The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident."
Port of Portland Police Department told Insider that the suspect caused an "in-flight disturbance in the cockpit" and that "flight crew was able to detain the subject."
In audio posted to LiveATC.net, the pilot on board the Alaska Airlines flight can be heard telling air traffic controllers about the incident.
"I'll just give you a heads-up. We've got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit," the pilot is heard saying, according to the audio. "It doesn't sound like he's causing any issue at the back right now. I think he's subdued."
The pilot added, "Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked," according to the audio.
Alaska Airlines said the flight was safely diverted to Portland International Airport and that all passengers on board were able to travel on a later flight.
When the flight landed in Portland just before 6:30 p.m., Port of Portland Police officers took Emerson into custody without incident, the department said.
Port of Portland Police, as well as the FBI, are investigating the incident.
Emerson was booked at the Multnomah County Detention Center and is now facing felony attempted murder charges, along with 83 misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, and a felony count of endangering an aircraft, jail records show.
It's not immediately clear if he had retained an attorney.
Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines said it was "grateful for the professional handling of the situation by the Horizon flight crew and appreciate our guests' calm and patience throughout this event."
If you were a passenger on this Alaska Airlines flight, we'd love to here from you. Email Insider at travel-tips@insider.com.