Off-duty pilot tried to seize control of flight to SFO

(CNN) — An off-duty pilot riding as a passenger in the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines flight tried to seize control of a plane headed from Seattle to San Francisco on Sunday, the airline and a source familiar with the matter said.

A pilot assigned to the flight told air traffic controllers a person riding in the cockpit of flight 2059 attempted to turn off the aircraft’s engines in flight. Pilots will occasionally ride a cockpit “jump seat” when traveling in an official capacity or commuting to another airport.

Joseph Emerson, 44, has been arrested by the Port of Portland Police Department and charged with 83 felony counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft, online booking records show.

Emerson is an off-duty pilot who is accused of trying to seize control of the Alaska Airlines flight, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The airline he works for wasn’t immediately known.

The plane took off from Seattle Paine Field International Airport and was diverted to Portland International Airport because of the “credible security threat,” the airline said.

“We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issues in the back right now,” the pilot relayed to Seattle-area air traffic controllers in audio recorded by LiveATC.net. “I think he’s subdued. Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and are parked.”

The Alaska Airlines crew “reported a credible security threat related to an authorized occupant in the flight deck jump seat,” the airline said Monday in a statement.