An Alaska Airlines jetliner lands at the main terminal of Denver International Airport late Monday, June 22, 2020, in Denver during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
| CBC News LoadedAn Alaska Airlines flight bound for San Francisco was diverted to Portland, Ore., after an off-duty pilot inside the flight deck attempted to disable the aircraft engines.Thomson ReutersAn Alaska Airlines jetliner is shown flying near Denver in a 2020 file photo. A flight was diverted Sunday night due to an incident in the cockpit, leading to an arrest of an off-duty pilot. An Alaska Airlines flight bound for San Francisco was diverted to Portland, Ore.
The Federal Aviation Administration told airlines in a notice seen by Reuters the individual sought to disable the engines on the Embraer 175 regional jet by deploying the fire suppression system and added the crew was able to subdue the individual and remove him from the flight deck. The engines were never disabled, Alaska said.
"I'll just give you a heads up. 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, and I think he's subdued," one of the pilots said on audio captured by LiveATC.com. "Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked.