PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - A former Alaska Airlines pilot accused of attempting to disable the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 entered guilty and no-contest pleas in federal and state courts on Friday as part of agreements with prosecutors.

The incident occurred during a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023. Joseph Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot from Pleasant Hill, California, was traveling off duty at the time, sitting in the cockpit jump seat. In the middle of the flight, between Astoria and Portland, prosecutors say Emerson tried to pull two red fire suppression handles.

“If activated, these handles would have shut down the hydraulics and fuel to the engine, forcing the aircraft to glide,” said a state prosecutor.

According to the

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