In a shocking incident, an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot has been charged with over 80 counts of attempted murder after he allegedly attempted to shut off a plane's engines midflight on Sunday. Flight 2059, operated by Alaska Airlines subsidiary Horizon Air, took off from Everett, Washington, and was en route to San Francisco when it was forced to divert to Portland due to a "credible security" threat linked to a person in the cockpit's flight deck jump seat.

According to Alaska Airlines, the jump seat occupant, later identified as Joseph David Emerson, 44, unsuccessfully tried to disrupt the operation of the engines. Fortunately, the Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, ensuring that engine power was not lost and safely securing the aircraft without incident. The flight crew followed appropriate FAA procedures and guidance from air traffic control in landing at Portland International Airport.

The terrifying incident took place just before 5:30 p.m. local time, and the plane landed in Portland about an hour later. Audio recordings of the plane's communications with air traffic control reveal the pilot's alarming announcement, "As a heads up. We've got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit. It doesn't sound like he's got any issue in the back right now. I think he's subdued. Other than that we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked."

Typically, off-duty airline pilots occupy the jump seat of the flight deck behind the pilots to fly back to their home base if seats are available. However, in this case, Emerson, who was an off-duty pilot, allegedly attempted to seize control of the aircraft. After landing, he was apprehended by Port of Portland police and booked on 83 counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment, and one count of endangering an aircraft. The FBI is currently investigating the incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sent alerts to airlines following the Horizon Air incident, stating that "a validated jump seat passenger attempted to disable aircraft engines while at cruise altitude by deploying the engine fire suppression system." Thankfully, the crew was able to subdue the subject, remove them from the flight deck, and ultimately land the plane safely. The FAA later clarified that the security event is not connected to any current world events.

All passengers on Flight 2059 were able to travel on a later flight, and Alaska Airlines expressed gratitude for the professional handling of the situation by the Horizon flight crew, as well as the calm and patience exhibited by the passengers throughout the ordeal.

This alarming incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining vigilance in air travel. The FAA highlighted the need for airlines to remain cautious, stating that while the incident is not connected to current world events, it is always good practice to be vigilant. The incident is being thoroughly investigated by law enforcement authorities, and further information is awaited.