Joseph David Emerson (44), a professional pilot who for one time flew as a passenger in the cockpit, tried to switch off the engines in mid-flight. He now risks years in prison
Oct 23 (Telegraph News) – Emerson booked a flight for Sunday with Alaska Airlines from Everett, Washington State, to San Francisco, California.
As a fellow pilot, the captain allowed him to sit in the cockpit. But while in full flight, the man suddenly started behaving strangely. He became aggressive and tried to shut down the engines. As a pilot, he obviously knew perfectly how to do that.
The pilot and co-pilot responded quickly and were able to neutralize the man. The engines did not fail and the flight was safely diverted to Portland, Oregon. All passengers were able to continue flying on a later flight. The pilot in question was arrested by the police.
In a recording of the communication with air traffic control, one of the pilots says: “We managed to eject the man who tried to switch off the engines from the cockpit. It doesn’t sound like he’s causing any problems in the back. I think he has calmed down.”
It is not known why the man suddenly wanted to switch off the engines, knowing that the Embraer-175 would then risk crashing. He had recently been medically examined and cleared to fly.
The man is now accused of 83 counts of attempted murder because so many crew members and passengers were on board. The man also allegedly tried to activate the fire extinguishing system in the aircraft, but that was also avoided by the alert crew. An investigation is now underway.
The fact that he flew in the cockpit is certainly not that unusual. Several airlines allow pilots who are not working to travel in the cockpit on a folding seat, just behind the pilots.