An off-duty pilot for Alaska Airlines was arrested on Sunday for attempting to turn off a plane's engine during the middle of a flight.
The flight, operated by regional airline Horizon Air, took off from Everett, Washington around 5 p.m. for San Francisco but was diverted to Portland, Oregon.
In a statement, the airline said the "credible security threat" happened shortly after the plane took off from Paine Field Airport.
"The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines," the statement said. "The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, engine power was not lost, and the crew secured the aircraft without incident."
Off-duty pilots often travel in a cockpit's "jump seat" when they're not on duty.
The incident forced pilots to make an emergency landing in Portland, where 44-year-old Joseph David Emerson was taken into custody.
According to CNN, Emerson attempted to shut down the plane's engines by pulling the "Embraer 175's engine fire extinguisher handles."
"The fire suppression system consists of a T-handle for each engine; when pulled, a valve in the wing closes to shut off fuel to the engine," Alaska Airlines said in a statement to the network. "After they are pulled, some residual fuel remains in the line, and the quick reaction of our crew to reset the handles restored fuel flow and prevented fuel starvation."
Emerson is now facing more than 160 charges, per CNN, including 83 counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft.
Emerson's motivation for the incident was not clear. An investigation is ongoing.
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