PORTLAND, Ore. — A former Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit reached separate plea deals with state and federal prosecutors on Friday.

Attorney Noah Horst said his client, Joseph Emerson, agreed to the deals because he wants to take responsibility and hopes to avoid more time behind bars. He declined to provide details prior to Friday's hearing.

Emerson was subdued by a flight crew after trying to pull emergency handles that would have cut fuel to the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023. He was not the flight's captain or co-pilot, but was riding in a jump seat in the cockpit. The plane was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with

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