Off-Duty US Pilot Accused of Trying to Cut Engine During Flight

Facts

• 44-year-old Joseph David Emerson, an off-duty pilot sitting in the cockpit 'jump seat' during a Horizon Airlines flight from Everett, Wash., to San Francisco, Calif., is facing 83 counts of attempted murder after he allegedly attempted to turn off the commercial airplane’s engines mid-flight.¹
• A spokeswoman for Alaska Airlines, the owner of Horizon, said Emerson tried to deploy the plane’s fire suppression system, which has handles that, when pulled, close valves in the wings, shutting off fuel to the engines. 'The quick reaction of our crew to reset the handles restored fuel flow,' the airline stated.²
• The jump seat is the third seat in the cockpit, which is often used by an off-duty pilot but can also be used by other airline employees or safety inspectors. The airline affirmed that no weapons were involved.³
• After the plane was safely diverted to Portland, Ore., the suspect was arrested at Portland International Airport, where he also faces charges such as reckless endangerment and endangering an aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it's supporting law enforcement with its investigation.⁴
• The Port of Portland Police Department stated that the flight crew 'was able to detain the subject' before it landed, with a passenger telling ABC News that after Emerson was taken off the plane, 'the flight attendant got back on the speaker and said, plain and simple: 'He had a mental breakdown.'' According to FAA records, he had received his transport pilot certificate, allowing him to serve as a captain on commercial flights, on July 10.²
• Emerson allegedly said, 'I'm not OK,' before reaching up to grab the red fire handles that would have activated the plane's emergency fire suppression system. According to the criminal complaint, Emerson said he had not slept in 40 hours and had been depressed for six months.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²The New York Times, ³ITV News, ⁴NPR Online News and ⁵ABC News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Seattle Times. While news of an attempted intentional plane crash by an airline staff member is alarming, the truth is that, since 1950 only 24 instances of passengers or crew members successfully doing this have occurred — including 9/11 — and most of them involved small planes killing just the pilot. Due to these tragedies, mandates such as having two pilots on board and narrowing access to the cockpit have been implemented, which is why the US aviation industry is the safest in the world.
• Narrative B, as provided by Business Insider. Despite the current shortage of pilots, and although the industry is still incredibly safe, there's a reason for the strict requirements to become certified to fly commercial planes. Even under the current rules, some pilots end up becoming hazards, which is why calls for lowering requirements should be put to rest. Lowering the mandated training flight hours and raising the retirement age may help boost hiring, but it won't make passengers any safer. The bar for licensing pilots must be set higher.