Magic mushrooms to blame says pilot

The plane was supposed to fly from Everett, Washington to San Francisco, California.

A recording from air traffic control communication hears one of the pilots saying: “We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issue in the back right now.”

“I think he’s subdued,” the audio added. The pilot went on to request police backup for when the plane landed in Portland.

Emerson was arrested by Port of Portland officers after the plane landed around 6:30 pm local time on Sunday evening and has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder.

He also faces an additional 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft, according to police documents.

“All passengers on board were able to travel on a later flight,” Alaska Airlines said.

“We are grateful for the professional handling of the situation by the Horizon flight crew and appreciate our guests’ calm and patience throughout this event.”

The Port of Portland Police Department and the FBI are now investigating the incident, according to Alaska Airlines.

The Federal Aviation Administration told US air carriers that the incident was “not connected in any way, shape or form to current world events”.