US pilot charged after attempted engine shutdown
In October, a dangerous incident occurs on a US flight: a pilot traveling on the flight suddenly tries to switch off the plane's engines. However, he can be overpowered. The 44-year-old is now facing 84 charges.
After his unsuccessful attempt to switch off the engines on a domestic flight, a US pilot has to stand trial. A grand jury in the state of Oregon, where the Alaska Airlines plane made an emergency landing after the incident in October, indicted 44-year-old Joseph Emerson on 84 charges, according to the district attorney's office. He faces 83 counts of endangering the lives of the 83 people on board and one count of endangering an aircraft, according to Mike Schmidt, the prosecutor in charge.
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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- International aviation authorities are closely monitoring the case of the US pilot, as such incidents of criminal behavior in the cockpit can have serious repercussions for aviation safety worldwide.
- Amidst calls for increased security measures in US aviation, the case of the Oregon-bound pilot who attempted to shut down the plane's engines has sparked a debate about the need for more stringent background checks and mental health assessments for pilots.
- The incident in Oregon has highlighted the necessity for better cooperation between law enforcement and international aviation agencies to prevent and respond to such incidents of criminality, ensuring justice for all involved and maintaining the safety of civilian air travel.
Source: www.ntv.de
