Why an off-duty pilot who is accused of trying to turn a plane’s engines off mid-flight was allowed to sit in the cockpit

• An off-duty pilot was charged with trying to turn off a plane’s engines while riding in the cockpit. 
• The incident highlights how aviation insiders are able to skirt stringent safety procedures.
• The pilot was sitting in the “jump seat” which gave him easy access to the cockpit’s operations.

An off-duty pilot was accused of attempting to turn off a plane’s engines mid-flight despite conforming to the aviation industry’s strict safety regulations — highlighting the potential havoc airline personnel can wreak even while operating within the system.

An Alaska Airlines pilot was accused of trying to shut off the plane engines and later attempting to grab the handle of an emergency door during Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 operated by Horizon Air from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, California on Sunday, according to federal and state court documents reviewed by Insider.