Off-Duty Pilot Attempts To Stop Plane Engines Midflight
On Sunday, an Alaska Airlines flight on its way to San Francisco had to land at Portland International Airport. WCNC Charlotte says this diversion happened after an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot attempted to shut down the plane’s engines.
Alaska Airlines stated the plane reported a “credible security threat related to an authorized occupant in the flight deck jump seat.” This report happened after they had already taken off from Everett, Washington.
The suspect, a 44-year-old man named Joseph Emerson, attempted to deploy the engine fire suppression system. Deploying this system would have caused the engines on the plane to shut down
The two pilots who were flying the plane were able to subdue Emerson before the engine lost power. After this, they completed Federal Aviation Administration procedures and guidance that was given by air traffic control and diverted the plane to PDX.
Joseph Emerson was arrested by the Port of Portland on Monday morning and faces 83 counts of attempted murder along with 83 counts of reckless endangerment.
A passenger on board named Paul Stephen said that the suspect acted normal after leaving the cockpit.
“I’m sitting in my seat, and I see the cockpit door open. A gentleman walks out; he’s got his hands crossed in front of him and he walks to the back of the plane by himself. The pilot sticks his head out, closes the door and we’re on our merry way.”
There were 80 passengers and four crew members on the flight and no one was injured.
No additional details have been released about the flight as of right now, law enforcement is currently investigating the situation.
The Odds of Your Flight Being Delayed At Each North Carolina Airport
It almost seems inevitable these days that if you fly you’ll have to deal with some sort of delays. But what are the true odds of your flight being delayed when flying in a North Carolina airport? I’ve flown for three trips (or six total flights) so far in 2023 and on the return trip of two of those my flight was delayed. And not just once, but several times over the course of a few hours. And unfortunately both times I had already arrived at the airport, so I couldn’t even enjoy the extra time on my vacation. That part may very well be what irritated me the most. Especially when I could have been at Disney World. The someone ironic part of this story? Both delays were flying out of different Florida airports. My family has since banned me from flying to Florida. Not sure I’ll listen though!
North Carolina Airports
There are 10 airports in North Carolina that service commercial passengers. And ahead of National Aviation Day, August 19th, researchers at BetCarolina decided to calculate the odds of your flight getting delayed at each of those airports. And it’s not your imagination, those odds are increasing over time. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that the percentage of delayed flights in 2018 was 17.3%, and it now sits at 21.6% in 2023.
What are we considering a “delayed flight”? A flight that arrived or departed from the gate 15 minutes or more after the scheduled arrival or departure. And you may be surprised to learn that the odds of your flight being delayed is not the greatest at the largest North Carolina airport. No, I’ll spoil it now. Charlotte Douglas International Airport did not have the highest percentage of delays. Instead, a regional airport did. But CLT was close to the worst. Keep reading to see what your odds of your flight being delayed at each North Carolina airport are. And you’ll learn a little about the destinations each airport serves. Another interesting statistic- overall if you are flying from anywhere in NC you have a 22.5% chance that the flight will be late.
Country 103.7’s funniest guy in town is none other than Rob Tanner with Tanner in the Morning! Rob Tanner has been the host of WSOC-FM's Tanner in the Morning Show in Charlotte, NC for 20 years. The show was named the 2018 ACM Major Market Personalities of the Year. He is well-versed in all topics in country music. Tanner also is a sports junkie who writes about any Carolina sports team, and he and his wife Missy spend most of their down exploring theme parks. He writes Disney insider content.
