In a startling incident aboard a 2023 flight, a former Alaska Airlines pilot attempted to disable the engines after consuming psychedelic mushrooms, leading to tense moments vividly captured in cockpit audio recordings.
Joseph Emerson, who was off-duty at the time, boarded the Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on October 22, 2023. As the flight crew restrained him, the dramatic events unfolded.
While seated in an additional cockpit seat on Flight 2059, which carried 84 passengers, Emerson reached for the engine controls, an action documented in audio obtained by KGW Portland.
The recordings revealed Emerson repeatedly stating, “I’m not OK,” highlighting his distress.
WATCH: EMERSON ASKS OFFICER IF HE WILL BE FORGIVEN FOR ‘BEING SO STUPID’:
A crew member, sounding perplexed, inquired, “What’s wrong? You want to be home?”
What sounds like a struggle can then be heard in the cockpit. One of the pilots then alerted air traffic controllers to the emergency.
“We need to make an emergency landing,” the pilot said. “We got a jump seater who just tried to shut our engines off. We need to go direct to Portland now.”
The pilot was referring to Emerson, and a short time later, the pilot reached back out to air traffic controllers with an update.
“We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issues in the back right now,” the pilot said. “I think he’s subdued. Other than that, yeah, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and park.”
Joseph David Emerson, 44, was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Tues., Oct. 24, 2023. (Dave Killen/Pool)
As the crew continued its descent into Portland, the air traffic controller asked what the threat level was.
The pilot told the controller that the threat was in the back of the plane, adding that the threat level was reduced. He said he planned to check in with the flight attendant to make sure everything was still “running smoothly.”
The controller then asked how high the threat level had reached during the incident.
Alaska Airlines confirmed the incident took place on one of its flights in Seattle, Washington. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
“It escalated to a four,” the pilot said, adding that “he’s out of the cockpit now.”
The pilot added that Emerson was handcuffed in a jump seat toward the back of the plane, giving a heads-up for when law enforcement arrived onboard.
“Right now, he’s staying calm,” the pilot said.
The plane was eventually diverted to Portland, where it landed safely.
At the time, Emerson, a California resident, told authorities he was grieving a friend’s death and had taken psychedelic mushrooms about two days earlier. He also said he had gone more than 40 hours without sleep.
Believing he was dreaming, he said he pulled the two red handles that would have activated the plane’s fire suppression system and cut off fuel to its engines.
Joseph David Emerson, 44, was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Tues., Oct. 24, 2023. (Dave Killen/Pool)
Emerson was federally charged with interfering with a flight crew. In Oregon, he was charged with 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft.
In September, he pleaded guilty to charges against him as part of a deal with state and federal prosecutors. Federal prosecutors originally asked a judge to impose a one-year prison sentence.
“Pilots are not perfect. They are human,” the judge said. “They are people, and all people need help sometimes.”
Before hearing his sentence, Emerson spoke, saying he regretted his actions.
“I’m not a victim. I am here as a direct result of my actions,” he told the court. “I can tell you that this very tragic event has forced me to grow as an individual.”
Emerson received a 50-day jail sentence with credit for time served and five years of probation. He was also sentenced to five years of probation, 664 hours of community service – eight hours for each person he endangered – and ordered to pay more than $60,000 in restitution, nearly all of it to Alaska Air Group.
