An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot is facing more than 80 charges of attempted murder after allegedly attempting to deactivate a plane’s engines during a midflight incident on Sunday, leading to the flight being diverted to Portland.

Flight 2059, originally departing from Everett, Washington, and headed for San Francisco, was operated by Alaska Airlines subsidiary Horizon Air.

The diversion was prompted by a “credible security” concern associated with an individual occupying the cockpit’s flight deck jump seat, NBC News reported.

“The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines,” the airline said. “The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.”

The flight crew adhered to “appropriate FAA procedures and guidance from air traffic control” in the decision to land at Portland International Airport.

The flight departed shortly before 5:30 p.m. local time and landed approximately an hour later in Portland, as confirmed by FlightAware data.

Recordings of the plane’s communications with air traffic control indicate an effort to deactivate the plane’s engines.

Written by staff