Wife of ex-Alaska Airlines pilot says she’s in shock after averted Horizon Air disaster

Published October 26, 2023 3:55 PM

By CLAIRE RUSH
Associated Press/Report for America

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The former Alaska Airlines pilot who police say tried to cut the engines while riding in the cockpit jump seat during a Horizon Air flight made his first appearance in federal court in Portland, Oregon. A defense attorney for Joseph Emerson said after the appearance on Thursday that he wasn’t suicidal or homicidal while on board the flight. Emerson’s wife said she was in complete shock and that her husband wouldn’t have done such a thing. Police say Emerson tried to engage an emergency fire suppression system during a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Sunday. Emerson has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges.

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