An off-duty pilot has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder in federal court after allegedly attempting to shut down the engines of an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight. On October 22nd, Joseph David Emerson was in the cockpit jumpseat of Alaska Airlines flight AS2059 when the incident occurred.
Horizon Air operated the flight from Seattle Paine Field International Airport (PAE) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The plane was forced to land at Portland International Airport (PDX) after the incident.
According to ch-aviation data, the aircraft, N660QX, is one of 41 Embraer E175s in Horizon Air's fleet. on behalf of Alaska Airlines,
The airline provides up to three flights per day between Paine Field and San Francisco.
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| Pilot Joseph Emerson |
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According to the pilots' report, Emerson allegedly attempted to grip and pull two red fire handles around midway through the flight, after engaging them in pleasant chat. The maneuver, if successful, would have activated the aircraft's emergency fire suppression system and shut off gasoline to its engines.
According to the investigation, Emerson then exited the cockpit and was held by the cabin crew after a brief physical struggle. He was seated in the back of the plane, and despite claimed attempts to unlock the plane's doors during the descent, the Embraer E175 landed safely in Portland.
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| Passengers Aubrey Gavello and Alex Wood aboard Alaska 2059 on October 22, 2023. Aubrey Gavello |
According to one of the other passengers onboard, the crew handled the situation well, with the event becoming obvious only after passengers were informed that the plane was diverting due to a medical emergency. Alaska Airlines said in a statement Wednesday, "We are grateful for the professional handling of the situation by the Horizon flight crew, and we appreciate our guests' calm and patience throughout this event."
Charged in federal court
During an interview with police after his detention, Emerson stated that he suffered a nervous breakdown and had not slept for 40 hours. He is also said to have mentioned ingesting psychedelic mushrooms at the time.
According to BBC News, when questioned by authorities about the event, Emerson said,
"I pulled both emergency shut-off handles because I thought I was dreaming, and I just wanna wake up. 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. I'm admitting to what I did. I'm not fighting any charges you want to bring against me, guys."
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