He attempted to shut down the plane's engines in flight by trying to pull the fire extinguisher handles in the cockpit.
The man, an off-duty pilot who was traveling seated in the cabin, behind the commander and first officer, was accused of attempted murder of the 83 people on board the aircraft, an Embraer 175 from Horizon Air of the low-cost group Alaska Airlines.
The plane had departed from Everett, Washington state, bound for San Francisco but was diverted late yesterday evening to Portland "due to a security threat", the airline said in a statement.
Joseph David Emerson, 44 years old, he was on the "jump seat" when he grabbed the emergency handle of the fire extinguishers but was stopped by the flight attendants who pinned him to the ground and handcuffed him , while the pilot and co-pilot managed to put the plane back on course and carry out a emergency landing.
The pilot was on his way to San Francisco where he would be part of the crew of a 737.
“We are grateful for the professionalism with which the Horizon flight crew handled the situation and appreciate the calm and patience of our customers during this event,” the line wrote in a statement. The FBI is also investigating the case.
(Unioneonline/D)
