Ex-Alaska Airlines pilot pleads guilty after attempt to shut down engines mid-flight 

An ex-Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to disable both engines of a Horizon Air Embraer E175 while riding in the cockpit jump seat has pleaded guilty to a single federal felony charge, U.S. prosecutors announced. 

Joseph David Emerson, 46, of Pleasant Hill, California, admitted to one count of interfering with flight crew members stemming from the October 22, 2023, incident that forced Horizon Air Flight 2059 to divert to Portland, Oregon. The jet, operated by Alaska’s regional subsidiary, had been en route from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco. Emerson, at the time a captain with Alaska Airlines, was commuting home after spending the weekend with friends in Washington. 

According to court documents, the disturbance began as the jet cruised over the Oregon coast. Emerson had been conversing casually with the crew when his demeanor suddenly changed. He tossed his headset aside, told the pilots “I’m not okay,” and reached overhead to pull the red fire control handles for both engines. Those levers, if fully engaged, would have cut off fuel and hydraulics to the engines, while twisting them would have discharged halon fire extinguishers and shut the engines down completely.  

One pilot grabbed Emerson’s wrists, and after a brief struggle the crew managed to stop him. The other pilot disengaged the autopilot, declared an emergency, and diverted the flight to Portland. Once subdued, Emerson left the cockpit at the crew’s insistence, and the pilots locked the door behind him. 

The situation remained tense in the cabin once Emerson left the cockpit. Flight attendants said he walked into the aisle saying he had been “kicked out of the flight deck” and told them, “You need to cuff me right now or it’s going to be bad.” Flight attendants placed him in wrist restraints and moved him to the back of the aircraft. During the descent into Portland, Emerson reached for an emergency exit handle, but a flight attendant intervened and stopped him. Witnesses recalled him telling flight attendants that he had “messed everything up” and “tried to kill everybody,” according to court filings. 

The aircraft landed safely in Portland, where police boarded and arrested Emerson without further incident.  

In interviews after his arrest, Emerson told investigators he had not slept in more than 40 hours and believed he was experiencing a nervous breakdown. He admitted to using psychedelic mushrooms for the first time two days before the flight, saying he felt like he was trapped in a dream and that pulling the handles might wake him up. “Although I was sitting in the jump seat and interacting with the flight crew, I believed I was dreaming and felt an overwhelming need to wake up,” he later told prosecutors. “In an effort to wake up from my ‘dream,’ I knowingly pulled the dual fire extinguisher handles for the aircraft engines while the aircraft was flying.” 

Emerson, who was fired by Alaska Airlines, has since spoken publicly about his struggles with depression, which he said worsened after the death of a friend. In media interviews, he explained that he was afraid to seek help for fear of losing his medical certificate. His case has reignited debate within the airline industry about how pilot mental health is monitored and supported. 

Initially, Emerson faced both federal and state charges. Along with the federal interference count, Oregon prosecutors charged him with more than 160 counts, including attempted murder for each passenger aboard. He pleaded not guilty at the time. Under a plea deal, he has now pleaded guilty to the federal charge and no contest to state reckless endangerment charges. According to ABC News, the agreement also includes a lifetime ban on flying. 

As part of the federal plea deal, Emerson agreed to pay restitution to victims, prosecutors said. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for November 17, 2025. The post Ex-Alaska Airlines pilot pleads guilty after attempt to shut down engines mid-flight  appeared first on AeroTime.

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