Off-Duty Alaska Airlines Pilot Faces 83 Attempted Murder Charges for Allegedly Attempting to Disable Engine Mid-Flight

People are wondering what was going through the mind of the man who is accused of attempting to shut down engine planes mid-flight.

Authorities say 44-year-old Joseph D. Emerson, an Alaska Airlines pilot, was arrested and booked Monday on 83 counts of attempted murder in Multnomah County, Oregon. The night before is when authorities say he tried to shut down the aircraft engines while in flight.

Emerson was riding in a cock pit jump seat on a Horizon Airlines flight that was going from Seattle to San Francisco when he pulled the life-threatening stunt. After the incident, the flight was reportedly diverted to Portland.

Luckily, the captain and first officer were able to stop him and prevent the plane from going down.

ATC audio reportedly captured crew members talking about the situation, and someone can be heard saying, “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 issue in the back right now, I think he’s subdued. We want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked.”

Authorities met Emerson when the flight landed. He now faces 83 attempted murder charges, 83 counts of reckless endangerment and, endangering of an aircraft.

A motive has not been released.