Alaska Airlines pilot was charged with interfering with flight crews, which can carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot was charged in federal court after allegedly attempting to shut down an in-flight plane’s engines on Sunday, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
Joseph David Emerson, 44, has been in custody since Sunday when a San Francisco-bound Horizon Air plane, which was operating Alaska Airlines Flight 2059, diverted to Portland International Airport. Emerson, traveling in the jump seat of the cockpit, allegedly attempted to shut down the engines by trying to engage with the fire suppression system, the airline said.
