An off-duty pilot was detained after allegedly trying to stop the flow of fuel to the engines of an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight in the United States. Now, he faces dozens of criminal charges, including attempted murder and reckless endangerment.
Identified by authorities as 44-year-old Joseph D. Emerson, he also works at the airline where the incident occurred. According to the company, the quick action of the captain and a crew member prevented the engines from stopping completely. Furthermore, the suspect was restrained by the crew.
According to the company, he was in an “auxiliary seat” in the cabin, in which pilots travel when there is maximum capacity or move between airports.
As a result of the incident, the aircraft, which was going to San Francisco, had to divert its route to the city of Portland, Oregon, also in the United States, where the suspect was taken into custody by the police.
Possible cause and criminal actions
In Oregon, Emerson faces 83 counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft, records show. He also faces a federal charge of interfering with flight crew and attendants, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon on these charges. Online records do not list an attorney for Emerson.
Investigators do not believe the incident was an act of terrorism or ideologically motivated violence, said Josh Campbell, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.
Thus, authorities are working with the possibility that he had a “mental health episode” and are preparing for the court to order an evaluation of the suspect’s psychological state as part of the judicial process, the source said.
He may also face further action at the federal level.
What happened?
After taking off from the North American city of Everett, Washington, bound for San Francisco, on Sunday (22), Alaska Airlines flight 2059, operated by the regional company Horizon Air, reported a “safety threat related to a pilot from Alaska Airlines out of service, identified as Captain Joseph Emerson, who was traveling on the fold-down deck seat flight.”
Pilots sometimes travel in a “booster seat” in the cabin when traveling at full capacity or moving between airports.
While in the cabin, Emerson attempted to shut down both engines of the Embraer 175 by pulling the fire extinguisher levers, the airline said.
“The fire suppression system consists of a T-shaped handle for each engine, and when pulled, a valve in the wing closes to shut off fuel flow to the engine,” Alaska Airlines explained in a statement.
“After being pulled, some residual fuel remains in the transmission line,” the note added.
The company highlighted that the crew’s quick reaction to readjusting both levers helped restore fuel flow and avoid engine shutdown.
“Our crew responded without hesitation to a difficult and highly unusual situation, and we are extremely proud and grateful for their skillful actions,” the statement said.
The plane was at cruising altitude, which typically occurs when an aircraft reaches between 9,100 and 12,400 meters in the air, when the incident occurred, said Capt. Mike Karn, flight safety manager for American Airlines.
The crew then detained the suspect and the plane was diverted to Portland International Airport, in Oregon, also in the United States.
He even tried to grab an emergency exit lever as the plane descended, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Oregon. However, a flight attendant stopped him.
“I think he was restrained,” one of the plane’s pilots said in air traffic control audio recorded by LiveATC.net. “Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we land,” he added.
Once the flight arrived in Portland at approximately 6:30 pm local time, the suspect was taken into custody by Portland police officers. No injuries were reported on the flight, according to the FBI, the US intelligence and security service.
All passengers were subsequently able to fly to San Francisco, the aircraft’s original destination, with a new crew and plane, the airline stressed, noting that it is “contacting each of them individually to discuss their experience and check on their well-being.” be”.
FBI investigation
Joseph D. Emerson is in the Multnomah County Detention Center being held without bond while the FBI and Portland police investigate the incident, authorities said.
The FBI’s Portland field office confirmed it was conducting an investigation into the case in a statement Monday and assured travelers that “there is no ongoing threat related to this incident.”
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that it is supporting local authorities in the investigation.
The FAA also confirmed that other airlines are aware of preliminary details of the incident and that the case is not related to “current world events,” apparently referring to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Passengers report to CNN
Two passengers on the flight told CNN that the airline crew maintained a calm environment on the plane during the incident.
Aubrey Gavello, one of the people on the plane, stressed that she didn’t realize anything was wrong until a flight attendant announced over the loudspeaker that the plane needed to land immediately.
“We didn’t know where we were landing and we didn’t know what was wrong. But the flight attendant assured us that we were safe,” Gavello told CNN.
Later, the pilot informed passengers over the loudspeaker that there had been a “disturbance in the cockpit”, commented Alex Wood, who was sitting in the front of the plane.
Wood said he was wearing headphones and slept through the incident. “I was close to the cabin, but nothing woke me up. The noise wasn’t loud enough to wake me up,” she explained. “Everything was handled very well”, added the passenger.
About five police officers boarded the plane after landing and escorted the suspect off the aircraft, Gavello recalled. She noted that he was calm and cooperative and had his hands restrained by zip ties.
After Emerson was removed from the plane, a flight attendant announced over the loudspeaker that “he had a mental breakdown,” according to Gavello.
Both stated that they did not realize the seriousness of the situation, only later seeing the headlines about the suspect trying to turn off the plane’s engines.
“Honestly, I’m grateful we didn’t know anything when they put us on a second plane. I don’t know if I would feel comfortable doing this if we were aware of what happened, Gavello highlighted.
“It was very shocking,” the suspect’s neighbor tells CNN
Ed Yee, a neighbor of pilot Joseph D. Emerson, told CNN that it was “very shocking” to learn what he was accused of. “He seems like a really nice guy. Nothing unusual about him,” she added.
Emerson has worked in aviation for at least two decades, according to information shared by Alaska Airlines. He joined the company in 2001 as Horizon’s first officer. In 2012, he left Horizon and joined Virgin America as a pilot.
After Alaska Airlines acquired Virgin America in 2016, Emerson became Alaska’s first officer and worked more than three years to become a pilot for the airline, according to the company’s statement.
“Throughout his career, Emerson has completed his mandatory FAA medical certifications in accordance with regulatory requirements, and at no time have his certifications been denied, suspended or revoked,” Alaska Airlines said.
The suspect had his most recent FAA medical exam last month, records show. He has a first-class medical certificate, the highest level granted by the agency, which requires biannual exams for pilots aged 40 and over.
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration records show that Emerson held an airline pilot certification with qualifications to fly the Airbus A320, Boeing 737, Canadair Regional Jet and De Havilland Dash 8.
He did not have certification to fly the ERJ 175, the plane in which the incident occurred, according to the records.
*published by Tiago Tortella, from CNN
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
