Former Alaska Airlines Pilot pleads Guilty After โฃIn-Flight Engine Tampering Attempt
Portland, OR โข- A former Alaska Airlines pilot, Joseph Emerson, has pleaded guilty in state court to chargesโ stemming from a harrowing incident in โ2023 โwhere he attempted to shut down the engines of a passenger flight mid-air. The flight, carryingโค 84 passengers and crew, โขwas โขdiverted from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco and safelyโค landed โฃin Portland, Oregon, after Emerson pulled a fire suppression system handle in theโ cockpit.
Emerson’s guilty plea comes with a sentence of 50 days in โprison, including time already served, and a five-year probation period. He still faces federal sentencing โคin November, where his legal team is expected to request probation, while โคprosecutors may seekโค a prisonโข sentence โof up to one year.The incident unfolded when Emerson, while piloting flight 2059, attempted to activate the engine fire suppression system, whichโข would have cut off fuelโค to the โengines. โฃA struggle ensued โwith the co-pilot, lasting approximately 90 seconds, before emerson was subdued. According to court documents, Emerson then attempted toโข open an emergency โคexit door as the plane descended.
“What Joseph Emerson did was reckless, selfish, and criminal,” stated Multnomah County Deputy Attorney General Eric Pickard. “We must remember how closeโ he came toโฃ causing devastation, not only to the 84 people on board flight 2059, but to all โขof their loved ones.”
Emerson has admitted obligation for hisโ actions,โค stating, “It shouldn’tโ have happened, and Iโ am responsible for that.” He initially told authorities he was experiencing a mental healthโ crisis triggered by grief over theโ recent death โขof
