Audio captures Alaska Airlines crew sounding alarm about off-duty pilot going ‘overboard’ by trying to turn engines off

Air-traffic control audio from the Alaska Airlines flight that was nearly derailed by an off-duty pilot who tried to shut down the engines captured the crew sounding the alarm about him going “a little overboard.”

The audio captured the moments after Joseph Emerson, 44, allegedly tried to activate the fire suppression system, which would have cut off fuel to the engines, while riding in the cockpit jump seat of a Washington-to-San Francisco flight Sunday.

“We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit and he doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issues in the back right now,” a pilot tells air-traffic control, according to audio obtained from LiveATC.net.

“We’d like law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and park,” he says, adding that “we’re reduced on the threat level,” which he said was initially a 4, the highest, which signifies a breach of the cockpit.

“We’re gonna check with the flight attendant to make sure everything is running smoothly, but it seems like he settled down as soon as he … after some moments of going a little overboard,” the pilot continues.

“He’s handcuffed and he’s in the back jump seat fort when law enforcement arrives and right now he’s staying calm,” the pilot adds shortly before making an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.

Emerson, a married father of two, has been hit with a slew of charges, including 83 counts of attempted murder after the terrifying incident aboard Flight 2059, which was operated by Horizon Air, a regional carrier owned by Alaska Airlines.

He also was charged with reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon.

Emerson allegedly tried to pull the emergency controls for the number one and number two engines of the Embraer 175, even though they are only to be used in case of a fire, an expert told ABC7 Bay Area.

“What I would do is, I would pull this lever up, which is hard to do,” Hiller Aviation Museum CEO Jon Welte told the outlet.

“I’ve got to push this safety button down first so it can’t happen by accident. When I pull this up, this disconnects the fuel flow going to the engine. This also disconnects the hydraulics and the electrical power,” he said, describing the procedure on a Boeing 737.

Turning the lever would start the extinguishers, he explained, and if done for both engines the plane would lost its ability to fly.

Ross “Rusty” Aimer, a retired United Airlines pilot and president of Aero Consulting Experts, told the Mercury News that “it would have been disastrous had he managed to do what he intended to do.”

Shutting both engines would have at least given the pilots a chance to maintain control of the plane while trying to restart them at cruising altitude, where they would have been able to glide about 100 miles over about 20 minutes, he said.

But if just one engine was shut off, the plane would have lurched to one side from the thrust imbalance, and the pilots would have had a tough time regaining control, Aimer added.

In a statement, Alaska Airlines said: “When pulled, a valve in the wing closes to shut off fuel to the engine. After they are pulled, some residual fuel remains in the line, and the quick reaction of our crew to reset the handles restored fuel flow and prevented fuel starvation.”

Aimer told the outlet it would be hard to imagine an innocent explanation for Emerson’s alleged actions.“Any pilot knows what those handles are for, even if they don’t fly that particular airplane,” Aimer said. “You know what those are for, and you don’t touch them, you don’t get anywhere close.”

Emerson’s mental health has been questioned after the incident – with one passenger saying a flight attendant announced that “he had a mental breakdown,” according to passenger Aubrey Gavello.

Welte said airline pilots are required to undergo medical exams every six months.“A very important part of that examination is reviewing any mental illness issues or any medications that might affect cognitive function, any psychological issues that may have arisen in the six month interval since the last first class medical exam,” he told ABC7.

An FAA pilot database shows Emerson is listed as a certified pilot who received a medical clearance last month. Pilots are expected to self-report any mental health conditions.

Emerson first joined the Alaska Air Group in 2001 as a first officer with Horizon, CNN reported. In 2012, he left Horizon and joined Virgin America as a pilot.

After Alaska Airlines acquired Virgin America in 2016, he became a first officer with Alaska.

“Throughout his career, Emerson completed his mandated FAA medical certifications in accordance with regulatory requirements, and at no point were his certifications denied, suspended or revoked,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement.

Emerson is being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center in Portland, where he is awaiting arraignment.