Attempted engine shutdown: US pilot indicted on 84 counts
He faces 83 counts of endangering the lives of the 83 people on board and one count of endangering an aircraft, as the responsible public prosecutor Mike Schmidt explained. No charges of attempted murder were brought. Emerson is due to appear in court on Thursday.
After the incident, the airline Alaska Airlines announced that the pilot, who was traveling in a folding seat in the cockpit on the flight of its regional subsidiary Horizon Air from Everett in the state of Washington to San Francisco in California, had "unsuccessfully attempted to interrupt the operation of the engines". The 44-year-old was not on duty at the time.
According to the Department of Justice, Emerson had reached for switches that would have activated the plane's emergency fire suppression system and cut off the fuel supply to the engines. However, he was overpowered by the crew and handcuffed and taken to the back of the plane. There he tried to open an emergency exit - but a flight attendant prevented him from doing so.
Emerson was detained by the cabin crew for the rest of the flight. The Embraer E-175 aircraft was diverted and landed in Portland, Oregon, where the pilot was arrested.
According to court documents, Emerson told police after his arrest that he had taken hallucinogenic mushrooms for the first time before the flight, had not slept for 40 hours and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "I pulled the two emergency levers because I thought I was dreaming and just wanted to wake up." At an initial hearing, he pleaded not guilty.
Airlines allow their pilots and flight attendants to travel on planes with so-called standby tickets if a seat is free. When planes are full, the employees sometimes take a seat on a folding seat in the cockpit. Emerson was suspended by the airline after the incident and relieved of all duties.
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- The US-pilot, Richard Emerson, was flying on a domestic flight from Everett in Washington to San Francisco with Alaska Airline's regional subsidiary, Horizon Air.
- Emerson, who was not on duty and was seated in a folding seat in the cockpit, tried to unsuccessfully interrupt the operation of the engine during the flight.
- Following the incident, the public prosecutor's office in Oregon pressed charges against Emerson for endangering the lives of the 83 passengers and the aircraft.
- The Alaska Airline pilot, accused of trying to shut down the engine of the Domestic flight, faces 84 charges in court.
- San Francisco's Public prosecutor Mike Schmidt explained that Emerson faced 83 counts of endangering the lives of the 83 passengers and one count of endangering an aircraft.
- The incident took place on a Alaska Airline flight operated by its regional subsidiary, Horizon Air, that was en route from Everett in the state of Washington to San Francisco in California.
- The charges against the US-pilot, Emerson, stemmed from his attempted engine shutdown during a domestic flight operated by Alaska Airline.
Source: www.stern.de
