Alaska Airlines flight behind the captain and the first-officer, according to an airline statement.
A police booking document named the suspect as Joseph David Emerson, 44.
The flight was on its way from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, California, with 80 passengers aboard.
It was diverted to Portland, Oregon, and the suspect was subdued without incident, officials said.
In a statement, Alaska Airlines said the off-duty pilot was travelling in the flight deck jump seat, when he "unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines".
Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 reported the incident to air traffic control.
An air traffic control recording during the incident captured the pilot saying, "We've got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit."
Emerson, who according to jail records is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 210 pounds, was arrested on state charges. The FBI said it was also investigating the incident.
"There is no continuing threat related to this incident," the FBI's field office in Portland said in the statement.
U.S. air carriers that the incident was "not connected in any way shape or form to current world events." A law enforcement official told CBS News investigators haven't seen a link to terrorism.
Emerson’s family has been advised by attorneys not to speak to the media. Family members and friends went to the house Monday night to gather some items for the family.
On Sunday, Emerson was on Horizon Air Flight 2059 and sitting in the cockpit’s jump seat when he “unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines,” Alaska Airlines officials wrote.
Alaska Airlines said the off-duty pilot was sitting in the flight deck jump seat -- which is in the cockpit -- and "unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines."
The captain and first officer "quickly responded," Alaska said, adding engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.
When the jump seat, a third seat in the cockpit, is occupied it’s often filled by an off-duty pilot, but the seat can be used by other airline employees or federal safety inspectors.
Sunday's incident occurred on a 76-seat Horizon Air Embraer 175 that left Everett, Washington, at 5:23 p.m. local time and landed in Portland an hour later. Alaska Airlines did not immediately say how many passengers were on board.
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