Every time we step aboard an airplane, we place our entire trust in the pilots, assuming all will go well.
And we do so with good reason, as airplane crashes are an extremely rare occurrence.
But a recent flight could’ve quickly become a tragic story, and for some, a nightmare becoming a terrifying reality.
After departing from Everette, Washington at around 5:30 pm, an Alaska Airlines pilot reportedly made an attempt to shut down the engines of a plane filled with passengers after experiencing a "mental breakdown" while in flight.
Highlights
- Alaska Airlines pilot tried to shut down engines mid-flight after a mental breakdown.
- Captain and first officer restrained him, landing safely in Portland with no power loss.
- Joseph Emerson charged with 83 counts of attempted murder and reckless endangerment.
An Alaska Airlines pilot allegedly made an attempt to shut down the engines of a plane filled with passengers after a "mental breakdown"
Image credits: Thank You (24 Millions ) views (not the actual photo)
44-year-old Joseph Emerson was reportedly off-duty while riding in the cockpit jump seat of a Washington to San Francisco flight Sunday (October 22) when he purportedly lunged for the controls, trying to initiate the plane's fire-suppression system.
This action, if successful, would have halted the fuel supply to the engines, potentially leading to the plane's descent and a catastrophic outcome.
The captain and first officer of the flight succeeded in restraining Joseph before executing an emergency landing at the Portland International Airport in Oregon, about an hour after the initial incident.
The plane had reportedly been cruising at about 35,000 feet, flight data showed.
Once on the ground, the flight crew candidly briefed the 83 passengers on board about the incident.
44-year-old Joseph Emerson was off-duty while riding in the cockpit jump seat of a Washington to San Francisco flight
Image credits: Joseph Emerson
Aubrey Gavella, who was a passenger on the Alaska Airlines journey, said: “The flight attendant got back on the speaker and said, plain and simple, ‘He had a mental breakdown. We needed to get him off the plane immediately.”
The carrier has reportedly confirmed the incident, emphasizing that the aircraft never experienced a power loss, as they ensured the safe landing of all passengers and crew members.
Following the landing, Joseph was taken into custody and faced a range of charges, notably including 83 counts of attempted murder.
A father of two and married, Joseph's neighbors spoke greatly of him in the news, revealing their complete shock
Image credits: Joseph Emerson
A father of two and married, residents in his Pleasant Hill neighborhood just beyond San Francisco found themselves utterly bewildered by the incident's revelation.
His next-door neighbor, Karen Yee, told the Daily Mail: “It is just really shocking, disturbing news.
“They are excellent neighbors. He is a fantastic father. He plays with the kids all the time. He’s very friendly. He’s just a great guy.
“They are excellent neighbors. He is a fantastic father," a neighbor said of Joseph and his wife Sarah
Image credits: Joseph Emerson
“We have a son with special needs, and he’s very good to him.
“We just couldn’t imagine him doing anything to hurt someone.”
Another neighbor who happens to be an elderly Air Force veteran, Lou Rossi, recalled: “All I could do is vouch for his character.
“I’ve helped him do things around his house. He does a lot of stuff with his kids.
“I can’t say one word that would be derogatory towards him at all.
Joseph was charged with attempted murder and an additional 83 counts of reckless endangerment
Image credits: Joseph Emerson
“I watched the news all the time, and I see things happen in neighborhoods where people say they could never believe someone would do something like this.
“All I could tell you is he is a really nice man, and his wife Sarah is a really nice lady, and they never, ever even remotely made me think anything negative about them.”
Alongside the attempted murder charges, Joseph is confronted with an extra 83 counts of recklessly endangering another individual and a single count of endangering an aircraft in the first degree, as reported by the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
Joseph is currently in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center in Portland, awaiting his arraignment.
Passenger Aubrey Gavella said that an attendant explained the pilot had experienced a mental breakdown on the speaker
Image credits: Aubrey Gavello
Since its creation in 1932, Alaska Airlines has experienced eleven significant aviation incidents, nine of which tragically resulted in fatalities, while the remaining two led to the aircraft being declared as total losses, fortunately without any loss of life.
These incidents have claimed the lives of 226 passengers and crew members, in addition to two individuals on the ground.
Joseph’s breakdown counts as one of the two Alaska Airlines employee incidents since its establishment.
Following an emergency landing in Portland, Joseph was immediately taken into police custody
Image credits: Aubrey Gavello
The other occurred in September 2019, when one of the carrier’s flight attendants reportedly called for an evacuation of Terminal A of the Newark Liberty International Airport, causing panic among Labor Day travelers.
Subsequently, law enforcement detained the flight attendant and concluded that it was a mistaken alert.
“We just couldn’t imagine him doing anything to hurt someone," Joseph's neighbor, an Air Force veteran, said
Image credits: Joseph Emerson
It was revealed that the employee was grappling with a mental health-related matter at the time.
Nevertheless, Alaska Airlines has ranked alongside Emirates, EVA Air and Virgin Australia/Atlantic as the top 10 safest airlines in the world this year, according to AirlineRatings.com annual list of the world's Top 20 Safest Airlines.
From 2015 to 2020, there have been on average: 0.34 accidents per 100,000 departures on a large commercial airplane, Fly Fright reported.
Nevertheless, statistics also show that up to 80 percent of all aviation accidents can be attributed to human error.
While some people sympathized with Joseph's situation, others asked for his pilot license to be revoked
