A worker cleans a jet bridge at Paine Field in Everett, Wash., before passengers board an Alaska Airlines flight on March 4, 2019. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines owns Horizon Air. An off-duty pilot riding in the extra seat in the cockpit …PORTLAND, Ore.
Emerson, an Alaska Airlines pilot from Pleasant Hill, California, was initially arrested in Oregon on Sunday night on state counts of attempted murder after the flight crew reported that he attempted to shut down the engines on a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco while riding in the extra seat in the cockpit. The plane was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with more than 80 people onboard.
Flight attendants placed Emerson in wrist restraints and seated him in the rear of the aircraft, but as the plane descended, he tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit, according to the document. A flight attendant stopped him by placing her hands on top of his, it said. According to the affidavit, he asked police if he could waive his right to an attorney: “I’m admitting to what I did. I’m not fighting any charges you want to bring against me, guys.”
Emerson took his most recent exam in September, FAA records show — but according to the FBI’s affidavit, Emerson told police he became depressed about six months ago.