
In the early light of Sunday morning, a flight destined for San Francisco was abruptly wrenched off course due to the alarming antics of an off-duty pilot. Identified as Joseph D. Emerson, 44, he was supposedly on board Alaska Airlines’ Flight 2059 merely as a passenger, yet the quiet hum of a usual flight transformed into the shocking reality of an attempted disruption of the engines operation while they sailed at cruise altitude.
Emerson was taken into custody by the Port of Portland police after the flight was forced to reroute to Portland, Oregon, negating the potential, calamitous crisis. There was no escaping the severity of his actions, with 83 counts of attempted murder and reckless endangerment stamped against his name, as well as a formidable charge of endangering an aircraft.
The drama unfolded on Horizon Air’s Flight 2059 that had lifted from Everett, Washington’s Paine Field Airport. As the off-duty pilot, Emerson, occupied the “jump seat” in the cockpit – a usual practice for pilots traveling in an official capacity or commuting to another airport, he attempted to throw the whole plane in jeopardy by trying to shut down both engines.
The captain and the first officer promptly thwarted Emerson’s attempts by using the Embraer 175’s engine fire extinguisher handles, according to Alaska Airlines’ account, hence skillfully averting a potentially catastrophic failure of the engines.
Navigating a situation of such high-stakes, an audio recording caught one of the pilots speaking to air traffic controllers, conveying the successful subduing of the suspect and requesting law enforcement to be ready at their diverted landing site – Portland International Airport.
Once on solid ground, the suspect was swiftly whisked away into custody without causing a hysteria among the passengers. Most of them, like passenger Aubrey Gavello who was situated at the back of the plane, were oblivious to the undercurrents of the dramatic occurrences and believed it to be just an early landing until law enforcement entered the plane.
The resultant investigations by the FBI and the Port of Portland confirmed Emerson’s identity and actions, and gave a reassurance that the episode did not have connections to ideologies of terrorism or ideologically-motivated violence. The FAA too echoed those sentiments and highlighted that the incident had no links to “current world events”.
Although Emerson held the Airline Transport Pilot certification with ratings to fly multiple planes including the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737, records showed he did not hold certification to fly the Embraer 175 – the airplane type involved in this unraveled drama. The incident drew an array of reactions, ranging from shock from his neighbors to gratitude from the passengers, who were able to travel on a later flight.
In the wake of such an unsettling event, Alaska Airlines expressed their appreciation for the Horizon flight crew, acknowledging their professional handling of the situation. By remaining calm in a dangerous situation, the Horizon flight crew exemplified the dedication to their profession and guests’ safety.