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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 24 OcTOber 2023

An off-duty pilot is accused of trying to shut down the engines of a

Horizon Air jet in midflight

By DAVID KOENIG and Emerson has a valid license
CLAIRE RUSH to fly airline planes. The
Associated Press Associated Press tried to
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An reach his family members
off-duty pilot riding in the but was unsuccessful. The
extra seat in the cockpit Multnomah County sheriff’s
of a Horizon Air passenger office, district attorney’s of-
jet tried to shut down the fice and public defender’s
engines in midflight and office did not immediately
had to be subdued by the respond to inquiries about
crew, according to a pilot whether Emerson had an
flying the plane. attorney to comment on
Authorities in Oregon iden- his behalf.
tified the man as Joseph The FAA, in an alert to air-
David Emerson, 44. He was lines, said a jump-seat pas-
being held Monday on 83 senger tried to disable the
counts each of attempt- engines by deploying the
ed murder and reckless engine fire-suppression sys-
endangerment and one tem.
count of endangering an “It is not hard to activate
aircraft, according to the the fire handles you want
Multnomah County Sheriff’s them to be accessible in
Office. case of an engine fire,”
The San Francisco-bound A worker cleans a jet bridge at Paine Field in Everett, Wash., before passengers board an Alaska said John Cox, a retired air-
flight on Sunday diverted Airlines flight on March 4, 2019. Associated Press line pilot and now a safety
to Portland, Oregon, where consultant. He said it is pos-
it was met by officers from tain and co-pilot reacted “We’ve got the guy that The FBI office in Portland sible to restart the engines
the Port of Portland, who quickly, “engine power tried to shut the engines said it was investigating once the fire handles are
took Emerson into custody. was not lost and the crew down out of the cockpit. “and can assure the travel- returned to their normal
Seattle-based Alaska Air- secured the aircraft with- And he doesn’t sound like ing public there is no con- position.
lines, which owns Horizon, out incident.” he’s causing any issue in tinuing threat related to this “This is an extremely rare
a regional carrier, did not Alaska said in a statement the back right now, and I incident.” event. In 53 years, I have
name Emerson, but said that no weapons were in- think he’s subdued,” one The Federal Aviation Ad- never heard of a jump-
Monday that the threat volved. of the pilots said on audio ministration said it was seat rider attempting to
was posed by one of its One of the pilots told air captured by LiveATC.net. helping law enforcement shut down engines,” Cox
pilot who was off duty but traffic controllers that the “Other than that, we want investigations, but declined said. He said the third pilot
authorized to occupy the man who posed the threat law enforcement as soon further comment about the can be invaluable in cases
cockpit jump seat. had been removed from as we get on the ground incident. where a crew must deal
The airline said the cap- the cockpit. and parked.” FAA records indicate that with a complex situation.q

U.S. Forest Service sued over flooding deaths in the wake of New

Mexico’s largest recorded wildfire

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) the largest wildfire in New The wrongful death law- Forest Service failed to pro- guished pile burn opera-
— Relatives of three peo- Mexico’s recorded history suit filed earlier this month vide adequate warnings to tion rekindled and merged
ple who died last year in a are suing the U.S. Forest Ser- alleges the Forest Service the victims about the dan- with another prescribed fire
flash flood stemming from vice. was negligent in the man- gers caused by the wildfire that went awry, destroy-
agement of the prescribed and the dangers of poten- ing about 900 structures,
burn and also failed to tial flooding in the area. including several hundred
close roads and prevent Neither the Forest Service homes. No deaths were re-
access to areas at risk for nor its parent agency, the ported while the fire raged
flooding that followed the U.S. Department of Agricul- for months.
Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon ture, has formally respond- Congress set aside nearly
Fire. ed to the lawsuit so far. $4 billion to compensate
The three West Texas resi- The U.S. Department of Ag- victims. FEMA has said its
dents were staying at a riculture didn’t provide a claims office has paid more
family cabin in northern settlement offer or denial than $101 million so far for
New Mexico in July 2022 of claims initially filed in the losses, but many families
when monsoon rains hit the case earlier this year, ac- have complained that
burn scar near Tecolote cording to the lawsuit. the federal government
Creek. That created a flash The blaze burned more is not acknowledging the
flood that swept the three than 533 square miles extent of the damage or
Fire rages near the Taos County line as firefighters converge on victims to their deaths. (1,380 square kilometers) the emotional toll the fire
northern New Mexico to battle the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon According to the Albu- in San Miguel, Mora and has had on families whose
Fire, May 13, 2022. querque Journal, the law- Taos counties. Authorities ties to the land go back
Associated Press suit also contends that the said an improperly extin- generations.q