A series of hijackings and attempted hijackings involving airline crew members has placed renewed focus on the risks posed by people with access to an aircraft’s cockpit.
The most recent incident listed occurred on October 22, 2023, when an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot allegedly tried to shut down the engines of a Horizon Air aircraft travelling from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco. He was seated in an extra cockpit seat.
The aircraft was diverted to Portland and landed with more than 80 people aboard. Joseph Emerson told police he was despondent after the death of a friend, had taken psychedelic mushrooms and had not slept for several days.
Previous incidents involving flight crew
Questions have also surrounded the crash of a China Eastern Airlines flight from Kunming to Guangzhou on March 21, 2022. The aircraft struck a mountain, killing all 132 people on board.
Chinese authorities have not released their final investigation report. However, data released by American investigators earlier in 2026 suggested that the aircraft’s engines had been deliberately switched off and that a struggle had taken place in the cockpit before the plane plunged.
In March 2015, the co-pilot of a Germanwings flight from Barcelona to Duesseldorf locked the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the aircraft into the French Alps. All 150 people on board were killed.
Andreas Lubitz had experienced depression, sleeplessness and fears that he was losing his vision, according to the material detailing the incident.
An EgyptAir flight travelling from Los Angeles to Cairo crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket in October 1999, killing all 217 passengers and crew. American investigators concluded that the co-pilot, Gameel Al-Batouti, had set the aircraft on a course to crash while the captain was in the bathroom, then shut off the engines as the captain returned and attempted to regain control.
Egyptian authorities disputed that conclusion, saying their own investigation found that mechanical failure was responsible.
A SilkAir flight from Jakarta to Singapore crashed near Palembang in December 1997, killing all 104 people aboard. Indonesian investigators said “unlawful interference” probably caused the crash, which occurred in good weather.
Their report said the pilot, Tsu Way Ming, was “in the process of, or intending to, leave the cockpit” before the cockpit voice recorder stopped. Investigators also said he was facing financial problems and had been subject to several disciplinary actions, including a demotion.
In February 1982, a Japan Airlines aircraft crashed into Tokyo Bay while landing, killing 24 of the 174 people aboard. Investigators said there had been a fight in the cockpit after the pilot, Seiji Katagiri, put the engines into reverse thrust.
Katagiri survived the crash. Investigators later determined that he had been considered fit to fly despite a history of mental illness, including paranoid schizophrenia.
