NATIONAL NEWS – Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot charged with 83 counts of attempted murder

Mariah Cain, Staff Writer

Joseph Emerson has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder, reckless endangerment, and one count of endangering an aircraft after he tried to shut down a plane’s engines mid-flight. He tried to shut down the system by triggering the fire emergency fire handles. The fire suppression system consists of a T-handle for each engine,” said Alaska Airlines in a statement. “If the T-handle is fully deployed, a valve in the wing closes to shut off fuel to the engine.”

Flight 2059 from traveling Washington to San Francisco was forced to land at Portland International Airport. “Throughout his career, Emerson completed his mandated FAA medical certifications in accordance with regulatory requirements, and at no point were his certifications denied, suspended or revoked,” said Alaska Airlines in a statement.