An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who allegedly tried to cut the engines of a jet mid-flight will appear for the first time in federal court on Thursday afternoon. Joseph David Emerson, 44, faces a federal charge of interfering with a flight crew, filed by the U.S. Attorney's office in Portland. Emerson also faces 83 counts of attempted murder for the 83 other people who were on the flight. He pleaded not guilty to those charges on Tuesday. Emerson was arrested on Sunday night after a Horizon Air flight crew reported that he attempted to shut down the engines of the plane while riding in the extra seat in the cockpit. Read the full story here: https://www.tegnaone.com/KING/story/edit/281-268a3809-4c9e-40c5-91da-3a859ca37920