In a sudden move, he tried to shut down the engines in flight, forcing the two pilots to make an emergency landing. The episode took place on Sunday, October 22, aboard an Embraer 175 aircraft carrying 80 passengers as well as crew. The flight, operated by Horizon Air (owned by Alaska Air Group), departed Everett (near Seattle) in the United States at 17:23 and headed for San Francisco. However, shortly after setting off, an unexpected event forced the captain and first mate to disembark and land in Portland.
According to the reconstruction, the person who made this reckless act (and without any explanation at the time) was a pilot on leave from the same company. The 44-year-old man was sitting in the cockpit, behind the two pilots at the controls, in what was called a “jump seat.” He wasn’t on duty, but it appeared to be the only seat available, and as a company pilot he was authorized to be there anyway. The man suddenly threw himself at the controls, trying to shut down the engines, but was stopped in time.
“Horizon’s captain and first officer responded immediately,” Alaska Air Group said in a statement, “there was no loss of power and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.” The man is currently in custody.
site Live ATC it also broadcast audio of dialogues between pilots and the control tower. At 10:58, one of the pilots was heard saying: “We took the man out of the cockpit who was trying to shut down the engines.” Then: “We want police intervention as soon as we land and park.”
Now we need to understand what the purpose of this move was and what went wrong with the controls.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched an investigation into the matter. A significant safety incident occurred last night on a US airline in which a passenger authorized to be in the cabin attempted to shut down the aircraft’s engines while at cruising altitude, starting a fire, the FAA said in a memo. Extinguishing system of engines. From what we read, the crew managed to stop the person being removed from the cockpit. The flight landed safely.”
Follow today on the new WhatsApp channel too
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
