Former Alaska Airlines Pilot Pleads Guilty in In-Flight Incident
PORTLAND, OR – Former Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson, 46, pleaded guilty Friday to 83 counts of recklessly endangering persons and one count of recklessly endangering an airplane stemming from an October 2023 incident aboard a Horizon Air flight. Emerson admitted to pulling the fire handles, shutting off fuel to the engines mid-flight.
The incident occurred on October 22, 2023, while Emerson was traveling as a passenger on Horizon Air flight 2059 from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco. After the aircraft flew over Oregon,Emerson activated the engine fire handles. He subsequently attempted to open a cabin door and engaged in disruptive behavior in the cabin, including drinking directly from a coffee pot. A flight attendant intervened, and the captain and co-pilot were able to subdue Emerson before making an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon. Emerson later stated he was experiencing a mental health crisis, and had used psychedelic mushrooms 48 hours prior.
As part of a plea deal with Oregon prosecutors, Emerson entered a “no contest” plea to all charges. On Friday,a judge sentenced him to five years of conditional punishment,664 hours of community service - eight hours for each of the 83 passengers on board – and ordered him to pay approximately $60,000 in restitution to Alaska Airlines and several hundred dollars to two passengers.
Emerson was detained for 46 days following his arrest. He has since become an advocate for mental health awareness within the aviation industry,stating he long feared seeking help due to concerns about losing his pilot certificate,a fear compounded by the death of a close friend. ”I lost,from the outside,everything I had ever worked for,” Emerson said during the court hearing. “But it’s the biggest gift I ever received.”
