Off-duty pilot hit with 167 charges, tries to shut down engines mid-air

Alaska Airlines’ off-duty pilot travelling as a passenger in the cockpit of a San Francisco-bound flight was charged with attempted murder on Sunday after he tried to shut down the plane’s engine mid-air.

The off-duty pilot, Joseph David Emerson, was travelling to San Francisco from Seattle, and in mid-air, he tried to cut off the fuel supply to the engines. The flight crew successfully prevented the pilot, Joseph David Emerson, from trying to activate the fire suppression system on the plane, which would have cut off fuel to the engines, leading to a crash.

The flight then diverted to Portland, where the off-duty pilot was arrested. He was hit with 167 charges,