An off duty Alaska Airlines pilot accused of attempting to shut down the engines on a flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco told investigators he was having a nervous breakdown, hadn’t slept in over 40 hours and was dehydrated.
He also said he had taken psychedelic mushrooms 48 hours earlier, according to court records released Tuesday.
Joseph David Emerson, 44, has been a pilot for over 20 years. He was arraigned Tuesday on 83 charges of attempted murder, 83 charges of reckless endangerment and one charge of endangering an aircraft. He pleaded not guilty. He was also charged in federal court with interference with flight crew members and attendants.
“I didn’t feel okay. It seemed like the pilots weren’t paying attention to what was going on. They didn’t … it didn’t seem right,” a probable cause affidavit quotes Emerson telling investigators. “Yah ... I pulled both emergency shut-off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just wanna wake up.”
Emerson was riding in a spare seat in the cockpit on an Alaska Airlines flight operated by Horizon Air when he threw his headset and told the pilots, “I’m not OK,” according to the affidavit. One of the pilots turned around and saw him attempting to pull red fire handles that activate the engines’ fire suppression system. If activated, the system cuts off fuel supply to the engines, “turning the aircraft into a glider within seconds.”
The other pilot told investigators he grabbed Emerson’s wrists and they were “physically engaged” for roughly 30 seconds before Emerson peacefully walked to the back of the aircraft. Flight attendants told investigators that Emerson said he needed to be cuffed immediately “or it’s going to be bad.”
A 2019 file from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines owns Horizon Air. An off-duty pilot riding in the extra seat in the cockpit of a Horizon Air passenger jet on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, tried to shut down the engines in mid-flight and had to be subdued by the crew, according to a pilot flying the plane.
Ted S. Warren / AP
Emerson’s attorney, Noah Horst, said they are pursuing a diligent investigation.
“Joseph Emerson is a caring father, a loving husband, and a skilled aviator who is supported and loved by a vast network of friends, family, and colleagues,” Horst said. “He would never intentionally hurt another person. Joe was not under the influence of any intoxicants when he boarded that flight.”
The pilots diverted to Portland International Airport. During the descent, Emerson, who was restrained in a flight attendant seat, attempted to open an emergency exit. Flight attendants said they heard him saying he had “messed everything up,” and that he had “tried to kill everybody.”
“Engine power was not lost despite the off-duty pilot’s attempt to shut down the engines,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement posted on the company website. “Our crew responded without hesitation to a difficult and highly unusual situation, and we are incredibly proud and grateful for their skillful actions.”
Oregon Military Department spokesperson Lt. Colonel Stephen Bomar would not say if jets from the Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing scrambled in response to the incident. He directed questions to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the organization which would control a response if warranted. Bomar said the 142nd Wing “is always prepared if needed.”
According to Multnomah County court records, Emerson told officers he had been depressed for about six years and that a friend had recently passed away.
Federal court records suggest Emerson might have been on psychedelic mushrooms at the time of the incident, saying he and an officer discussed the drug and that Emerson said “it was his first-time taking mushrooms.” Multnomah County court documents, however, are more explicit: Emerson told Port of Portland police officers he had taken the psychedelic drug 48 hours earlier, and the officer noted that Emerson did not appear to be under the influence of any intoxicants at the time.
Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in “magic mushrooms,” is a tightly controlled schedule I substance and is on the Federal Aviation Administration’s list of “unacceptable medications.”
Despite the strict ban, psilocybin’s health benefits are slowly gaining mainstream acceptance. In 2020, Oregon became the first state in the country to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic purposes. Psilocybin and other psychedelics have been used for centuries by indigenous groups in Africa, Central and South America in healing and religious ceremonies, and they have proven effective at treating depression and helping people overcome trauma.
While in custody with the Port of Portland, Emerson told officers he was waiving his right to an attorney and that he was admitting to what he did.