New audio has emerged from a recent flight, and let’s just say it was anything but smooth sailing. The recording sheds light on a harrowing incident where an off-duty pilot, Joseph Emerson, went a little off the rails and attempted to shut off the engines mid-flight. Talk about a serious case of turbulence!
Emerson, a 44-year-old pilot for Alaska Airlines, was riding in the cockpit as a courtesy when he suddenly decided it was a good idea to mess with the plane’s controls. Thankfully, his fellow pilots quickly reacted and managed to remove him from the cockpit before any real damage was done. They even had to call in law enforcement to meet the plane in Portland, where it was forced to land due to Emerson’s outrageous actions.
The audio also reveals that the situation was initially classified as a level 4 threat, which is the highest possible level and often indicates a breach of the cockpit. The pilots reported that Emerson was handcuffed and subdued after his original outburst, but you can imagine the tension in the air. It’s a good thing the captain and first officer were able to keep the situation under control and prevent a disaster of epic proportions.
As for Emerson, he now finds himself in a whole world of trouble. He has been arrested and charged with a whopping 83 counts of attempted murder (one for each person on board), as well as reckless endangerment and endangering an aircraft. Yikes! It looks like his sky-high ambitions didn’t quite pan out the way he had hoped.
While this may sound like a scene straight out of a Hollywood action movie, it serves as a stark reminder that real life can be just as thrilling (and frightening). Let’s hope that incidents like this remain few and far between, and that the skies stay friendly for all the law-abiding pilots and passengers out there.
Original article https://www.tmz.com/2023/10/24/alaska-airlines-pilot-went-overboard-airplane-takeover-audio-reveals/