Alaskan Airline plane, en route to San Francisco, diverts to Oregon
(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A Bay Area pilot is facing 83 counts of attempted murder after allegedly trying to turn off a plane's engines as it was headed toward San Francisco on Sunday.
They were mid-flight, headed toward San Francisco from Everett, Washington, when an off-duty pilot, sitting in an extra seat in the cockpit, allegedly tried to turn off the engines.
Horizon Air crew members were able to subdue the pilot. A flight attendant then announced they'd be making an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.
"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," said Paul Stephen, a passenger.
"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," said Audrey Gavello, another passenger.
Surreal
Passengers described the following moments as surreal the plane started going down fast, making several sharp turns.
They then said the cockpit opened and a man walked out without an escort.
"He ended up in zip ties in the back of the plane, which I noticed...Your mind can't help but assume that something larger, like what we're reading on the news is happening," Gavello shared.
Once in Oregon, they said officers escorted the man out and were told he had a mental breakdown. But, it wasn't until Monday morning that passengers realized the man they saw was 44-year-old Joseph Emerson. The Pleasant Hill pilot now facing 83 counts of attempted murder.
"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 expressed.
"No indications of anything wrong"
In a statement, Alaska Airlines, which owns Horizon Air, said engine power was never lost and crews were able to secure plane without incident.
Those who have known Emerson say this doesn't make sense.
"I thought that couldn't be the Joe next door by his demeanor, how he treats the kids, the family. No indications of anything wrong," said Ed Yee, Emerson's neighbor.
Passengers say Alaska Airlines offered them a $300 voucher before refunding their flight.
As for the investigation, it's now in the hands of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who said this security event is not connected to current world events.
