A Pleasant Hill pilot is in custody and is facing 83 charges of attempted murder after police say he tried to cut a plane’s engines while in-flight.
The incident happened Sunday while 44-year-old Joseph Emerson was off-duty, sitting in an extra seat in the cockpit of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco. The two pilots flying the jet had to subdue him.
“We have got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit. He doesn’t sound like he is causing any issues in the back right now. We want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground,” one of the pilots is heard saying on dispatch audio.
Authorities in Portland are now holding Emerson -- an experienced commercial pilot -- on 83 counts of attempted murder and reckless endangerment charges. He is dur to be arraigned Tuesday.
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Paul Stephen works in San Francisco and was a passenger on the plane, sitting at the front of the fully-booked flight. He said about 25 minutes after takeoff, a flight attendant announced there was an emergency onboard.
“She sounded in a panic and then she took off down the aisle, and us passengers just looked at each other and instantly had fear within our bodies. We didn’t know what it was, was it a plane issue, was it a person issue?” Stephen said.
He said the plane was going down quickly and made several sharp turns.
Moments later, he said, he saw the cockpit door open and Emerson walk to the back of the plane without an escort.
Only after the plane made an emergency landing in Portland and the man was arrested did Stephen understand what happened.
“When you are on that plane, you are scared to death, you wake up next morning and you see one of their own was able to walk past you unattended, you get angry thinking about that." Stephen said.
Emerson is a Pleasant Hill resident, and neighbors who know him told NBC Bay Area the incident doesn't make sense.
“I thought that couldn’t be the Joe next door by his demeanor, how he treats the kids, the family,” said neighbor Ed Yee. “No indications of anything wrong.”
“Never a discouraging word from Joe, ever about anything. He is always positive. He is just a great guy,” said neighbor Karen Yee.
In a statement released Monday, Alaska Airlines, which owns Horizon Air, said engine power was never lost, and crews were able to secure the plane without incident.
Aviation expert Doug Rice said the incident triggered the highest threat level airlines have, but he also believes the crew did everything right. He said it will take a long investigation to see what went wrong.
“These things are not instantaneous, they are cumulative, and if we have missed these signals all along then we will look at how we do a better job at vetting and reviewing and addressing these issues to ensure future security,” said Rice.
Passengers said Alaska Airlines offered them a $300 voucher before refunding their flight.
The FAA and FBI are now investigating.
